Close to 25,000 Lost Electricity in Queensland and Victorian Regions Following Severe Storms
Nearly 25,000 residences in Queensland's southeast were left experiencing outages on Monday's dawn after powerful weather events swept through the state, producing strong winds hitting 109km/h.
Substantial Ice Stones and Widespread Damage
Residents witnessed large ice chunks as large as seven centimeters in particular locations. The Bureau of Meteorology verified that various areas across Queensland had been hit with substantial ice precipitation.
This afternoon's storm has heavily impacted our infrastructure!
Utility workers were working to restore power throughout the affected regions, with nearly 70 crews activated to handle the widespread outages.
Victorian Weather Woes
At the same time, approximately 1,000 residents in the southern state also experienced energy failures after the metropolitan area recorded its heaviest rainfall in a year and a half.
Rescue organizations received 598 calls for help across the area, mainly for building damage but also for fallen timber and inundation.
Most Affected Areas
- The Werribee area - experienced significant destruction
- Hoppers Crossing area - multiple rescue reports
- Wyndham area - over 175 calls for assistance
During the peak on Sunday, over 28,000 power users in the state were experiencing outages.
Meteorological Predictions
Damp conditions were forecast to persist along much of Queensland's east this next several days as a weather pattern continued to pull in damp air against the coastal areas.
Tomorrow was expected to become the most rainy day, with persistent thunderstorm potential expected across different parts of both areas.
Health Warning
Public health experts warned that there was an higher risk of thunderstorm-induced asthma across the state's northern country region, especially given the current weather patterns.
This alert comes after historical occurrences where analogous circumstances led to major medical consequences in the region.
