The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that Tuesday's Melbourne Cup could be interrupted by rain and cold winds, as a vast rain band sweeps across southern and eastern Australia from Sunday. Senior meteorologist Angus Hines said showers and cold winds are likely to affect Victoria on Cup Day, with Melbourne and Hobart potentially receiving up to 50mm of rainfall from Sunday to Tuesday.
The rain band will move from central Australia to the eastern states between Sunday and Monday, bringing widespread rain and a risk of thunderstorms. Hines noted that the stretch of rain will be vast, covering from the bottom of the continent to the Gulf and Top End. Inland and southern Queensland, as well as Greater Sydney and the Illawarra region of NSW, could experience severe thunderstorms on Monday.
Thousands of homes lost power in Queensland and northern NSW after storms hit the east coast late Saturday, bringing giant hail, destructive winds, and heavy rain. Fallen trees and power lines caused widespread outages, with Ergon Energy reporting over 2,500 homes without power in Queensland as of Sunday. The South Burnett Regional Council area was the worst hit, with 814 properties affected.
Nine people were injured by giant hailstones at a school fair in Esk, Queensland. A woman in her 30s was transported to Ipswich Hospital with head and neck injuries, while a man in his 20s was taken to Gatton Hospital with minor burns. Two women were transported privately with minor injuries, and five others did not require hospital treatment. The Queensland State Emergency Service responded to about 75 call-outs for structural damage and flooding.
In New South Wales, Essential Energy reported at least 90 homes without power around Byron Bay, including 21 homes inland of Lennox Head affected by a lightning strike. Brisbane is forecast to reach 29°C on Sunday with possible storms, while Sydney will be partly cloudy at 18°C. Melbourne is expected to be rainy throughout the week, with up to 35mm forecast for Monday.
