Logan wakes to 50,000 homes without power, and the Bureau says the storms are coming back this afternoon

About 50,000 properties in south-east Queensland were still without electricity on Thursday morning, most of them in Logan, after a fast-moving storm cut power to more than 80,000 homes on Wednesday afternoon. Energex had counted about 56,000 customers still offline at 6am AEST (4am AWST).

At least 20 schools in the Logan City Council area did not open on Thursday. The Education Department says they will reopen when it is safe for staff and students.

And the weather is not finished. The Bureau of Meteorology’s senior forecaster Jonathan How said the Gold Coast, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and as far north as Bundaberg could all see “severe thunderstorms again today”, with a risk of flash flooding, large hail and damaging winds.

How bad was Wednesday’s storm?

The Bureau recorded a 96km/h gust at Brisbane Airport just after 5pm AEST (3pm AWST), but meteorologist Harry Clarke said the worst of it missed the official wind stations and the damage pointed to gusts over 100km/h.

Logan took the brunt. Almost 60,000 of Wednesday night’s outages were in the Logan area. Mayor Jon Raven said winds of Category 1 cyclone strength had struck the city, and that people in Regents Park and Marsden had their roofs ripped off. At Eight Mile Plains a large gum tree was uprooted onto two cars.

Rain fell hard and fast: almost 80mm in 30 minutes at Wishart, on Brisbane’s south side, and 75mm in half an hour at Chandler and Leslie Harrison Dam. Flash flooding cut roads from Wellington Point to Logan Village. A driver whose car became stuck in floodwater at Gumdale just after 6.30pm walked to safety unhurt.

The SES received more than 300 calls for help, including from people trapped in cars and houses. No serious injuries have been reported.

Why is the power taking so long?

Because the network is broken, not just tripped. Energex said more than 400 powerlines came down, about 85 per cent of them in Logan and the Scenic Rim, and crews found concrete poles smashed. About 120,000 lightning strikes were recorded, some hitting equipment directly.

“This is not going to be a quick fix — the damage is severe,” Energex spokeswoman Rebecca Winter said. Extra crews from further afield have been brought in, but Energex has not given a restoration time for the hardest-hit streets.

Telstra says it is also working to restore mobile coverage in Marsden, Crestmead and Waterford West.

What should people in the affected areas do today?

Treat every fallen powerline as live and keep at least eight metres away. Check the Bureau’s warnings through the afternoon, especially if you are in Logan, where damaged roofs and loose debris are more exposed to another round of wind and hail. Never drive into floodwater: Wednesday’s Gumdale rescue happened within an hour and a half of the storm arriving.

Households without power should keep fridge and freezer doors closed and check on neighbours, particularly older people and anyone relying on medical equipment.

Is this unusual for November?

No. Late spring is the peak of south-east Queensland’s severe storm season, when hot, humid air meets cooler systems moving in from the west. What made Wednesday’s storm costly was where it landed: across dense suburbs in Logan, one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, rather than open country.

VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.