Sunday, November 18, 2012

Clean-up starts after Queensland storms - Brisbane Times


AAP


Severe thunderstorms which dumped hail the size of softballs on some parts of southeast Queensland have left local councils with a major mop-up operation.


The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says the worst of the weather has passed and while more storm activity is possible, it's not likely.


Parts of the southeast saw huge hail - the largest the size of a softball - when severe thunderstorms swept through the region on the weekend.


"On Saturday, softball sized hail 9 to 10 cm across was reported at Brookstead, west of Toowoomba. There were quite a few places around there that had hail of that size," forecaster Livio Regano told AAP on Monday.


"On Sunday about 5pm (AEST), there was similar sized hail reported around Boonah (west of the Gold Coast)."


When the hail reached Brisbane about an hour later it was slightly smaller, about the size of tennis balls, and that hit areas including suburban Toowong and Ashgrove.


"That's still big, make no mistake, but it's not quite the softball," Mr Regano said.


Many communities also saw damage from winds that gusted above 100km/h at the weekend, and there was isolated flash flooding in parts of Brisbane.


Councils are still working to repair the damage and clear stormwater drains of debris, and say it will be some time until the damage bill is known.


Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says council crews will be out in force on Monday, repairing infrastructure and assessing the damage.


The storms affected the Brisbane, Ipswich, Sunshine and Lockyer council areas, and there are also reports of some crop damage in the Granite Belt and on the Darling Downs.


Energex told AAP it had restored electricity to all 100,000 customers who lost power over the weekend, as more than 100,000 lightening strikes were recorded.


An Energex spokeswoman said the storms showed how important it was for people to prepare their homes.



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