Queensland Hit by Supercell Storm [PHOTOS]
Queensland was hit by a supercell storm on Wednesday night, leaving homes without roofs. The towns of Bony Mountain, Pratten and areas near Warwick were struck by a storm, causing trees and power lines to fall.
A spokeswoman from the Department of Community Safety said strong winds ripped off the roofs of six houses and wreaked havoc to a silo and a commercial building. Volunteers from the State Emergency Service were working until 2 am to cover damaged roofs with tarpaulins as rescuers evaluated the structural strength of properties. A man cut his leg from the storm debris and received treatment from paramedics.
District Controller for State Emergency Services John Newley said the supercell storm cut a path of destruction about 60 metres wide. Mr Warwick said nothing was spared from damage within that distance. Outside of the 60-metre zone, trees still have leaves on them.
Mr Newley said a house in Pratten lost some floorboards, furniture and part of its walls due to the storm dismissed as a freak of nature. He also says this kind of storm usually happens in the winter but not that often.
Bryan Rolstone from the Bureau of Meteorology said a tornado may have formed inside the cell based on the weather radar. He could see a fast-moving rotation inside the cell. The radar may also reveal a funnel to indicate a tornado at the centre, but sometimes it doesn't show. The storm last night came this close to that.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service's Lindsay Hackett inspected the damage in the wake of the storm and saw a lot of trees on the ground and some livestock on the loose roaming the roads.
Weather forecasters were surprised by the arrival of the storm since it was considered very unusual at this time of year. The strong and violent winds with hail are not what they had expected to happen.
Previously, Australia experienced rainshowers, causing flood alerts in low-lying areas. The air is bursting with moisture which would be a common occurrence during summer. The current weather conditions were ripe for a thunderstorm to form. One cell could unleash a violent storm such as this one in Queensland.