Residents across southern Queensland and northern New South Wales are cleaning up after another night of destructive and volatile weather, which brought heavy rain, damaging winds, and relentless lightning to the region.
Storm System Unleashes Fury
The intense weather first erupted over the Western Downs on Sunday, striking the towns of Tara, Dalby, and Miles with force. The system then shifted northeast, prompting the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to issue dangerous thunderstorm warnings. By 11pm, areas near Kilcoy, Mount Mee, and west of Kilcoy were under threat, with storms racing towards Caboolture, Dayboro, and Wamuran before impacting Moreton Bay and the southern Sunshine Coast.
Wind gusts were recorded at 50km/h at Cape Moreton and Miles, with Dalby experiencing 44km/h winds. A separate and severe cluster of storms later formed over the Northern Rivers, affecting Lismore, Kyogle, and areas inland from Byron Bay, Ballina, and Ocean Shores, before tracking towards the Gold Coast.
Record Winds and Destructive Hail
The storm line intensified dramatically in northern NSW, where a wind gust of 113km/h was recorded at Cape Byron at 8.04pm. This followed a 91km/h gust in Armidale and a powerful 107km/h gust in Tamworth earlier in the afternoon. Adding to the danger, golf ball-sized hail was reported at Jackadgery at 6.14pm, raising widespread concerns for property and vehicle damage.
These severe cells produced torrential rainfall, almost continuous lightning, strong to locally destructive winds, and isolated large hail as they moved towards Murwillumbah, Burringbar, Tweed Heads, the Springbrook Ranges, and southern parts of the Gold Coast.
Widespread Damage and Power Outages
The powerful winds caused significant damage, knocking out power and hurling loose items. In Tara, a trampoline was tossed into a neighbour's yard, while a roof was torn from a property on Binnie Street around 6pm. Nearly 400 homes and businesses in the Tara area remain without power due to storm damage, though no injuries have been reported.
Near Tamworth, strong winds completely flattened a shed, with further reports across the region of downed trees, damaged powerlines, and other structural issues. The chaotic conditions continue a run of storm-hit weekends across Queensland's southeast, coming just days after the state recorded its largest hailstone on record—a 14cm giant in Chandler.
Dual Crises: Storms and Bushfires
While storms rage in the east, NSW is also confronting an early-season bushfire crisis. The NSW Rural Fire Service confirmed that 20 homes were destroyed between fires at Bulahdelah and Koolewong on the Central Coast, a blaze which also tragically claimed the life of a firefighter. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered condolences to the firefighter's family and colleagues.
Although there are no current emergency bushfire or heatwave warnings in NSW, the storms and strong winds are expected to keep fire danger high across much of the country. Meanwhile, the BOM has issued a heatwave warning for northwest Queensland, where weekend temperatures soared into the high 30s and low 40s.
Queensland is also facing its own early-season bushfires, with flames affecting the ferry terminal area on popular tourist destination North Stradbroke Island as the summer holiday period begins. The extreme heat in the northwest is expected to ease early in the week, though milder heatwave conditions will linger.
Authorities are urging all residents to stay weather-aware, secure loose outdoor items, and avoid driving through floodwaters as the unstable conditions are set to persist.
