The roof of a Woolworths Supermarket collapsed after severe Queensland storms bringing hailstones of up to 7cm and rainfall of 86mm in just one hour.
The Gold Coast town of Mudgeeraba was hit by 100mm of rain over six hours, with 86mm in an hour and 69mm falling in just 30 minutes.
Nearby Burleigh Waters recorded 122mm of rain, while 87mm fell in Evandale and 75mm in Carrara.
Hailstones of up to 7cm were also recorded north of Injune, in the west of the state, at around 1:20pm on Wednesday afternoon.
Other parts of the state – Central Coast and Whitsundays, Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia and Wide Bay and Burnett Forecast Districts – were also warned of severe thunderstorms.
“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall which could lead to flash flooding, large hailstones and damaging winds in the warning area over the next few hours. Locations that may be affected include Biloela, Blackwater, Moranbah, Baralaba, Marlborough and Mount Morgan,” the alert states.
A severe thunderstorm warning due to heavy rain has also been issued for southeast Queensland, including Cherbourg, parts of the Gympie and South Burnett Council areas.
More than 2,400 Energex customers were also without power by 5:30 p.m., according to the Courier Mail, with 2,115 of them in the Moreton Bay region, 110 in the Lockyer Valley, 140 in the Scenic Rim, 58 in Somerset and 14 on the Sunshine Coast.
The roof of Woolworths in Morayfield collapsed during the storms. Photo: Contributed
People in affected areas were advised to park cars under cover, away from trees, close doors and windows, keep asthma medicines nearby, and charge mobile phones and power banks in case of power outages.
People were also encouraged to keep pets in a safe place and not to drive unless necessary.
'Enter a strong building now. Stay indoors until the storm passes,” the alert states.
The warnings come after Queensland was hit by 200,000 lightning strikes in a single day on Tuesday during a wave of severe weather expected to continue into Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology warned.
Senior forecaster Angus Hines, speaking on Wednesday morning, said Queensland should expect to receive 'severe thunderstorm' warnings later in the day as storms develop.
“Later on Wednesday, once storm activity begins to develop, it is likely that several severe thunderstorm warnings will be issued and updated throughout the second half of today, showing where the storms are, where they are following in the next few hours. .'
He said severe thunderstorms were “more likely” to occur in inland locations west of Toowoomba, but could not be ruled out elsewhere.
Heavy rain is also forecast for the southeast of the state.
“Along the southeast coast, significant rainfall accumulations are possible over the next 24 hours, with or without thunderstorms,” Hines said.
'Between 50-100mm, possibly even more, could occur along the Queensland coast north of Brisbane, particularly in places like the Sunshine Coast and Noosa.'
The stormy weather follows a wild Tuesday across the Southeast.
Weatherzone reports that around 200,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the area during the afternoon and evening.
The agency recorded a wind gust of 87 km/h at Banana Bank, on the Brisbane coast, and 54 mm of rain at Round Mountain.
“The severe storms were moving quickly Tuesday afternoon…they didn’t stay in one location for long,” Hines said.
Hines said a “coastal trough” along the state’s southeast coast was driving storm activity.
However, Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Christie Johnson said severe thunderstorms in southeast Queensland and northeast NSW were expected to ease on Thursday, with “only a small chance of a few severe thunderstorms bringing damaging wind gusts in parts of Queensland”.
“There is still a small chance of strong storms bringing damaging winds,” Johnson said.
Rain is expected to continue in northern NSW but is expected to ease during the day, with Sydney expected to reach a maximum of 24C.
Canberra is set for a frosty start, although temperatures are expected to reach a high of 23C.
The forecast is for a windy day for Victoria, with a cold front moving in, and temperatures are expected to reach 20ºC.
“There is a possibility of damaging wind gusts over the Otways and Central Ranges, and there is a severe weather warning for this,” Mr Johnson said.
'We also have a high fire risk in the Mallee… above average temperatures in the north and east.
“In the Southwest, where the cold front will arrive a little earlier, we will see below-average temperatures.”
Tasmania could experience sleet and snow as a cold front passes through during the day, with the state forecast to reach a high of 18C.
“Before then, we will see gusty northwest winds trending more westward behind the front,” Johnson said.
“We will also see rain extending mainly across the west and south. Maybe some small hail along with that, maybe even a chance of snow down to about 800m.
South Australia will experience mainly dry conditions with below average temperatures in the south, while the far north and northeast will remain warm.
“Adelaide heading for a sunny maximum of 21C, but with cold southerly winds, it looks like temperatures will be closer to 15C or 16C during the day,” Johnson said.
The Northern Territory will continue to experience heat as severe to extreme heatwave warnings remain in place, with temperatures expected to reach a maximum of 37C.
“In the north there continues to be a heat story,” Johnson said.
Perth is expected to reach a high of 29C on Thursday.
'We will see some showers and thunderstorms in the Kimberley as well, and also that wave of wind that causes high fire risk across much of the Northern Territory and also inland Kimberley,' Johnson said.
