More than 26,000 homes in Australia were left without power after a powerful storm with hail and strong winds. This is reported by The Guardian.
On the morning of October 27, about 26,000 households in southeast Queensland were left without power due to a severe thunderstorm, during which wind speeds exceeded 109 km / h. Local residents also reported cases of hail up to 7 centimeters in diameter in some areas.
In addition, almost 1,300 customers in the state of Victoria were left without electricity after Melbourne experienced its wettest day in the last eighteen months. Energex said the storm caused “significant damage” – with power lines down in Brisbane and around 70 repair crews working to restore power.
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that large hail had fallen across parts of Queensland. Wind gusts of up to 109km/h were recorded in the town of Gaindy, and lightning even interrupted a Pacific Cup rugby match between Samoa and Tonga in Brisbane.
In Victoria, emergency services received 598 calls for help due to fallen trees, flooding and damage to buildings. The suburbs of Verviers, Hoppers Crossing and Wyndham were the worst affected. Some of the calls may be related to a possible short-lived tornado that swept through western Melbourne — experts are currently analyzing the extent of the damage.
Victoria’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Caroline McElnay, warned of an increased risk of an outbreak of “storm asthma” in the north of the state. She recalled a tragic incident in 2016, when ten people died from this disease. Meteorologists predict that wet weather in eastern Queensland will continue for several more days, with the heaviest rainfall expected on Tuesday.
