Beautiful one day, violent, damaging hailstorm the next. Mother nature showed Queensland who was boss yesterday, as the “Sunshine” state was hammered by a massive hailstorm. Chunks of ice up to the size of tennis balls fell across the state and caused what is likely to amount to millions of dollars in damage to cars, houses and buildings. The coastal regions of Maroochydore and Mooloolaba were the hardest hit, but hail also fell in Brisbane, Logan and the Gold Coast.
The State Emergency Service reportedly responded to hundreds of calls for help to repair damaged windows and roofs, and attend to flooding caused as a result of the damage. An SES Awards Ceremony being held yesterday in Gympie was disrupted when many SES Officers in attendance were called up to respond to requests for help, with SES Queensland officer Steve Waddell telling ABC News that “About a quarter of the audience had to get up and go and work”.
The Bureau of Meteorology has this morning issued another severe thunderstorm warning for today, advising that “Severe thunderstorms are likely to develop and produce damaging winds and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Emerald, Longreach, Clermont, Isisford, Barcaldine and Moranbah.” Goodness gracious, great balls of ice.
Heard this coming for at least a minute before it hit! #hail #weather #maroochydore pic.twitter.com/p1dWIByn3A
— Jo Joyce (@jlojoyce) November 16, 2013
Via ABC News. Lead image via Twitter.
