'Supercell' storm bombards Brisbane with giant hailstones

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.

Buildings and streets were flooded, and commuters were left stranded after rail services were suspended across the city. Light planes were flipped upside down on an airfield.

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"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".