WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Bad weather looks set to continue to hit parts of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria after a weekend of severe storms that left a woman dead.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting heavy rain, damaging winds and even hail on Tuesday for parts of eastern Queensland between Mackay and the Sunshine Coast.
Some areas of New South Wales, including Sydney, could experience thunderstorms late on Tuesday afternoon and there will be rain throughout the day for many Victorians as central and western parts of Australia swelter due to warm conditions and dry.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued severe thunderstorm warnings on Monday night for large areas of New South Wales and Queensland, although conditions appear to be improving; most of these warnings were lifted Tuesday morning.
The Bureau said rain and storms in the east of the country are expected to ease by New Year’s Eve, although hot weather and bushfire conditions will continue in WA.
“It’s looking like a much nicer New Year’s Eve than Christmas Day,” BoM meteorologist Joanna Hewes said.
More wild weather could be on the way for Boxing Day with afternoon storms forecast in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland (pictured)
The Gold Coast (pictured) was particularly hard hit by a wild storm on Monday – a woman died after being hit by a tree branch amid strong gusts of wind.
A house at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast after a storm hit the area at Christmas
A crane at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast was destroyed by the wind (pictured)
In Queensland, a woman in her 50s died after being struck by a tree in Helensvale on Queensland’s busy Gold Coast.
Wind gusts of up to 106 kilometers hit the coastal tourist hotspot well into the afternoon of Christmas Day, toppling trees and sending debris flying through the streets.
The powerful storm was captured on video by residents as it moved through the city late into the night with images online showing long lightning bolts across the sky.
Queensland SES said emergency crews were called to more than 220 jobs on Christmas Day, with the majority (126 reported incidents) taking place on the Gold Coast.
More than 120,000 homes and businesses were without power as of 11:30 p.m. Monday after the storm knocked down 300 power lines, according to Energex.
“This supercell has already received 140,000 rays and is still working,” they said. “Without a doubt, the Gold Coast has been the hardest hit.”
Numerous flights were also delayed at Sydney Airport on Sunday night after receiving 96mm of rain in about an hour.
Flights were grounded at Sydney Airport on Sunday night after receiving 64mm of rain in just an hour and a half (pictured)
According to Weatherzone, winds exceeding 64 knots, in purple, flow in a jet stream over the country, causing much of the wild weather.
A passenger plane was struck by suspected lightning as severe storms continue to throw Christmas celebrations across southeastern Australia into chaos.
Passengers on a Virgin flight from Sydney to Melbourne reported hearing a loud bang that shook the 7.30pm Christmas Eve service.
An airline spokesperson confirmed the alleged attack but could not say whether the plane was in the air or still on the runway at the time of the attack.
They said the plane underwent mandatory testing after the incident. It took off about 40 minutes later, after being deemed “completely safe.”
In regional New South Wales, at least one town had a white Christmas on Monday with a blanket of huge hailstones left behind as thunderstorms battered parts of the state.
Residents of Grenfell, 370 kilometers west of Sydney, were pelted with golf ball-sized hail as families prepared for the day’s celebrations and locals in Orange reported some chunks up to 10cm wide leading to the revelers inside their homes.
In a scene straight out of a Northern Hemisphere Christmas, front yards with Christmas decorations could be seen covered in hail.
Residents of Grenfell, central New South Wales, enjoyed a ‘white Christmas’ after being hit by golf ball-sized hail (pictured).
Melbourne had one of the wettest Christmas days on record, while northern Victoria was hit by flash flooding.
Wedderburn, Shepparton, Echuca and Kyabram were among the worst affected communities, with streets flooded and reports of damage to multiple properties.
About 40 mm of rain had fallen in Melbourne by 9 am, and the most rain experienced on Christmas Day was 48.6 mm in 1988.
Mr Hewes said it was “unusual” for the town to receive more than 10mm of rain on Christmas Day.
Wedderburn in Victoria was under water on Christmas Day and more rain was expected for southeastern Victoria on Boxing Day.
Flooding remains a concern for parts of Victoria and southeastern New South Wales on Tuesday.
“Depending on where those storms might appear this afternoon, we could see even higher rainfall totals,” Ms Hewes said, according to the Herald Sun.
In Victoria, dozens of homes also continued to be affected by power outages in the central and northern regions of the state.
Residents of the state capital shared a video online Tuesday of what they said were long rays lighting up the sky during a flight over the city.
Further north, residents in regional New South Wales braced for further flooding threats, including on the south coast, which witnessed “heavy” rain on Monday.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded more than 89 mm of rain in just one hour in the Eurobodalla region, a popular summer area for tourists.
Recommended level flood warnings were also issued Tuesday for southern parts of the state, including the Snowy Mountains and Tumut regions.