Melbourne: Severe weather wreaked havoc across eastern Australia on Sunday night, cutting power to tens of thousands of homes, pelting communities with giant hailstones, and unleashing winds so strong that witnesses described them as “straight out of a movie.”
In south-east Queensland, about 26,000 households woke to darkness on Monday morning after a violent thunderstorm ripped through the region, producing wind gusts exceeding 109 km/h. The tempest, which rolled through Brisbane and nearby suburbs, brought down trees and power lines, causing what utility company Energex called “significant damage” to its network.
“This afternoon’s storm has absolutely smashed our network,” the state-owned company said in a social media post late Sunday, warning residents to steer clear of fallen wires and report hazards immediately. Nearly 70 repair crews were dispatched overnight to restore power to the affected areas.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) confirmed that the storm had produced giant hailstones across the state, including stones measuring 7 cm in St Lucia, 6 cm in Pullenvale, and around 5 cm in Moorooka and Goonda. Fierce winds also battered Amberley and Archerfield, while Gayndah recorded gusts reaching 109 km/h. The wild weather even interrupted the Pacific Cup Men’s rugby league match between Samoa and Tonga in Brisbane, forcing play to halt as lightning lit up the sky.
Meteorologists warned that damp, unstable conditions would persist across eastern Queensland throughout the week as a low-pressure trough continued to pull moisture inland. Tuesday was expected to bring the heaviest rainfall.
Further south, Victoria endured its wettest day in more than a year, with Melbourne Olympic Park recording 35.4 mm of rain within 24 hours the city’s highest total since April 2024. The deluge, coupled with destructive winds, left over 1,300 homes without electricity on Monday morning, though most outages were resolved by midday.
The State Emergency Service (SES) reported receiving 598 calls for assistance, mainly due to fallen trees, flooding, and structural damage. The hardest-hit suburbs included Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, and Wyndham, which accounted for 179 emergency requests.
Local residents described terrifying scenes as the storm tore through their neighbourhoods. Werribee resident Brigette Boyd told ABC Radio Melbourne that the wind was so strong she was forced to retreat indoors. “As I opened the door, the wind nearly blew me back it was awful,” she said.
Another resident, Tara, recounted how the storm destroyed her backyard and lifted her partner off his feet. “All of a sudden this huge wind came from nowhere,” she told ABC Radio. “It ripped off my pergola like a tin of sardines. My trampoline disappeared somewhere in Werribee, and my partner was lifted and dropped while we watched from the window. It was terrifying like something from Twister.”
The BoM said early evidence suggested that a short-lived tornado may have touched down in Melbourne’s western suburbs, particularly around Wyndham Vale and Hoppers Crossing, though further analysis is underway to confirm the phenomenon.
Meanwhile, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Caroline McElnay, issued a public warning about a potential thunderstorm asthma event in the state’s northern regions. The alert recalled the deadly 2016 outbreak, when Melbourne faced the world’s largest recorded epidemic of thunderstorm asthma, which claimed 10 lives.
As repair teams race to restore power and clear debris, both states are bracing for more unsettled weather in the days ahead. Authorities continue to urge residents to stay indoors during storms, avoid floodwaters, and keep clear of damaged power lines reminders that Australia’s spring storm season is far from over.