Queensland has been hit by golf ball-sized hailstones as dangerous supercell thunderstorms moved across the state’s south-east.
Severe thunderstorms were forecast to rapidly develop along the Great Dividing Range throughout Saturday afternoon and push towards the coast.
Hail fell at Gatton and Adare, west of Brisbane, the Bureau of Meteorology said, and damaging winds and torrential rain that could lead to flash-flooding were also likely.
7NEWS Toowoomba
(@7NewsToowoomba)A heavy storm is sweeping through South East Queensland. This golf ball-sized hail just fell in Gatton. https://t.co/srqc170vJl Credit: Wendy Parker #qldweather #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/N8LnxR7O1A
Caleb Olsen
(@Nuvaknight3)The storm is here most of the chickens are away Sydney retreated to under the house with the turkey who’s been here the last 4 days visiting and here’s a video of the hail coming down pic.twitter.com/JZdD9OajeT
“Already we are seeing severe thunderstorms on the NSW-Queensland border and Scenic Rim,” meteorologist James Thompson said. “Very dangerous thunderstorms … supercell thunderstorms that could lead to giant hail and destructive wind gusts in excess of 125km/h.”
The Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Kingaroy, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim may be affected.
People were urged to move cars undercover, secure loose outdoor items and stay indoors.
The forecast came less than a week after two days of storms delivered a month’s worth of rain and flash-flooding to some parts of the state, including Brisbane.
Tennis ball-sized hailstones pummelled the region on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Beachmere, near Caboolture, recorded 80mm of rain in an hour and 70mm fell on the Upper Lockyer, west of Brisbane.
The Bureau of Meteorology on Saturday issued a warning for severe thunderstorms along the entire New South Wales coast and as far inland as Dubbo, with large hail, heavy rain and damaging winds expected.
An urgent warning was issued around midday for areas in Sydney’s south-west – Camden, Campbelltown, Sutherland, Liverpool, Helensburgh and Bundeena – with the storm forecast to track over waters off Stanwell Park and Thirroul by mid-afternoon.
Flash-flooding was expected all along the coast, with the bureau warning it could be life-threatening near Goulburn, Yass and Young.
Massive rainfall totals had already been recorded across the state on Saturday morning, with Ulladulla on the south coast receiving 109mm in only three hours. Moruya received 73mm in the three hours to 10.50am.
A flood warning was issued for Wamban in the south, with the Deua River expected to swell to 4.4m on Saturday afternoon.
The low-pressure trough causing the weather was expected to head east during Saturday, bringing showers to many areas and the risk of hail and strong winds to parts of the mid north coast and Northern Tablelands.
