A clean-up operation is under way after a "supercell storm" swept through southeast Queensland, raining hailstones the size of tennis balls rained down on Brisbane and the surrounding area.
In what the BBC describes as the area's worst storm for 30 years, up to 90,000 homes were left without power after winds gusting at 85mph ripped down trees and power lines.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"It looks like the apocalypse," said one resident.
Sky News says 39 people were injured in the storm, which was as strong as a Category Two cyclone. There are no reports of fatalities.
The army has been called in to help emergency crews clear up the storm wreckage, estimated to have caused 100m Australian dollars (about £54m) worth of damage. Insurers say the episode will be a "catastrophe" for them, The Guardian reports.
Meteorologists are describing the incident as a "supercell" storm - which occurs when an ordinary storm cell encounters damp air from sea breezes. It produces a vortex, with the air spinning at high speed as it rises through the atmosphere.
The Queensland premier, Campbell Newman, told ABC radio the storm was "probably the worst to hit the city as a whole since 1985".
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
