Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for Logan, parts of Ipswich, the Gold Coast, Brisbane City and the Scenic Rim council areas. The bureau warned the storms were likely to produce damaging, locally destructive winds, large and possibly giant hailstones, and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding.
Hailstones measuring between three and seven centimetres were recorded at Yamanto, Flinders View, Ripley and Mudgeeraba between 2:30pm and 3:30pm on Tuesday. A separate severe thunderstorm warning was also in place for parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Wide Bay and Burnett and the Southeast Coast forecast districts. The bureau defines giant hail as anything larger than five centimetres in diameter. In 2020, hailstones of 14 centimetres were recorded around the Brisbane area. Giant hail can cause significant injuries and damage cars, windows, homes and crops.
The Gold Coast's chief lifeguard, William Ashley, said beaches were closing and people should stay out of the water during storms. "Water is a very good conductor of electricity so we don't want to encourage anyone into the water during the storm," he said.
Brisbane Airport warned of "some delays" after a lightning strike damaged the surface of its western runway, which was closed for repair. The airport said on social media that the eastern runway had "just reopened" following a safety inspection.
Police urged motorists to avoid driving through floodwaters after three people became stranded in separate incidents across the Darling Downs over 24 hours. A 60-year-old man became stuck in floodwaters at Talgai, north of Warwick, around 9:15pm on Monday night, freed himself and was rescued by Queensland Fire and Rescue swiftwater crews. An 18-year-old woman allegedly drove into floodwaters in Warwick early on Tuesday morning and later returned a roadside breath test reading of 0.179 per cent. A 57-year-old man who became stuck at Ellengowan at about 2:30am was brought to safety just before 7am.