Last night Energex reported that up to 161,000 customers were without power after hailstorms, strong wind gusts and widespread lightning moved across South-East Queensland. By 7am this morning, that figure had fallen to around 96,000, with more than 600 powerlines reportedly still down across the distribution network.

More than 800,000 lightning strikes were reported in South-East Queensland yesterday afternoon. This screenshot was taken at 3:15pm local time.

Source: Windy

The severe thunderstorms began to sweep through South East Queensland starting from around 2:30pm local time on Monday, rapidly intensifying as the cell moved through metropolitan Brisbane. The storm brought wind gusts in excess of 110 km/h and hailstones reportedly as large as 12 cm in diameter. The combination of destructive winds, giant hail and dense lightning resulted in extensive damage to roofs, vehicles, vegetation and electricity infrastructure.

As at 10:15am, the Energex outage map continued to show widespread outages across the region.

Source: Energex

With crews working through the night to clear debris, assess damage and make safe downed lines, the restoration effort remains ongoing across multiple suburbs. At 7am this morning, Energex posted an update on their Facebook page which stated:

7AM SEQ STORM UPDATE (Tue 25/11) 
What a night!
The bad news
– 880,000 recorded lightning strikes and 100km/h+ winds combined to batter greater South East Queensland
– we’ve currently got more than 96,000 customers without power and 600+ powerlines on the deck, with debris blocking access in some areas
– for some, it won’t be a quick fix. In the worst affected areas, power may not be restored until tomorrow evening.
The good news
– more than 64,000 customers have had their power restored overnight, thanks to 200 of our people starting repairs
– we’ve called in reinforcements from our friends at Ergon Energy Network and have 300 guys and gals ready to continue the effort today, with the support of vegetation contractors to clear debris
(🙏Ergon are also contending with thousands of customers without power in regional Queensland from Mother Nature’s journey up the coast).

News Coverage

For those wanting to track broader reporting, here’s a selection of coverage from other outlets that we’ve seen thus far:

• Nick Visser of The Guardian reported “Brisbane storms and hail leave nearly 100,000 without power as trees downed and roofs stripped“
• Shari Hams of the ABC reported “Over 90,000 households without power and 11 damaged schools closed after south-east Queensland storms“
• Felicity Caldwell of The Brisbane Times reported “Power could take ‘day or two’ to come back as SEQ braces for more wild storms“
• Sarah Swain from 9News reported “Thousands could be without power until tomorrow after monster storm“