More than 400 downed powerlines were also confirmed, with that number expected to grow as more reports came into Energex.
“It looks like we’re going to be pretty busy,” a spokesperson for the power distributor said.
Fallen branches at Riverside Drive in West End.Credit: Felicity Caldwell
The storm followed a hot Monday morning, with a severe heatwave warning in place from Sunday.
The warning extended across the state, with parts of north and central Queensland set to reach the mid-40s this week, and Brisbane set to reach 36 degrees on Thursday.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jonathan How told residents to expect hot days and nights, with the “feels like” temperatures to sit two to three degrees above the recorded peaks.
“We’ve got severe heatwave conditions starting from today all the way from the Sunshine Coast down to the New South Wales border,” How said.
Twenty-four hours in Brisbane: people cool off at Streets Beach in South Bank at lunchtime on Monday, after dramatic lightning storms on Sunday evening.Credit: Courtney Kruk/Rosanna Ryan
“We’re looking at maximum temperatures up to 10 degrees above average inland, and then along the south-east coast, about six degrees above average for this time of year.”
Heatwave warnings have been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology and Queensland Health, with both urging residents to keep cool, stay hydrated and avoid strenuous activity.
Monday’s storm activity came after a weekend of heavy rain in south-east Queensland, with large hail, heavy rainfall and lightning recorded between Logan, the Redlands and the Scenic Rim.
How said while the Sunday evening storm was small, about five kilometres wide, it caused extensive damage to cars and properties, particularly around Logan.
“Brisbane pretty much dodged the worst of it,” he said.
“But down towards the Scenic Rim and with that Logan supercell that moved through, we did see giant hail of eight to nine centimetres.”
Monday, October 27 was the hottest October day in 21 years, with Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls saying it was “like walking into a furnace”, and the ambulance service receiving 4250 triple zero calls for assistance, up from an average of 3600.
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