TRAFFIC chaos, localised floods, crashes, cut roads and more than 82,000 homes without power - it's storm season in the southeast.

For the second day, a line of storm cells rolled across the region, bringing high winds, torrential rain and hail to the Granite Belt near the NSW border before rolling down the Great Divide to savage the region from the Sunshine Coast to the southern border.

Commuters were facing delays going home with major disruptions to the Airport, Beenleigh, Cleveland and Gold Coast train lines,

Translink says Doomben, Ferny Gove and Ipswich/Rosewood and Sunshine Coast train lines are experiencing minor delays.

Problems remain on roads and public transport across the south-east.

Areas in Brisbane's west were affected with the Ipswich Motorway flooded for 20 minutes at Riverview earlier this afternoon.

Drivers are being asked to drive with extra care as there are trees down and some localised flooding in areas.

There are also disruptions on parts of the train network tonight.

A Translink spokesman said a problem with overhead power lines near Trinder Park stopped trains running between Kuraby and Bethania.

He said buses were ferrying passengers between the stations but there were delays of around an hour for customers on the Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines.

The flow on effect has delayed Airport and Ipswich services by about half an hour.

Earlier, hail storms pelted the Sunshine Coast, pushing trees through roofs and causing localised floods.

The same system that wreaked havoc across Stanthorpe, Logan and Brisbane, is now heading out to sea but there is still storm activity heading in from Brisbane's west.

Traffic chaos has been reported across the region.

Hail about 3cm in diameter fell on Buderim and Maroochydore for 10 minutes just before 4pm.

"We've had quite a few call outs, mainly in Buderim and Maroochydore," an Emergency Management Queensland spokeswoman said.

The Sunshine Coast is still experiencing heavy rains, but no injuries have been reported.

More than 58,000 homes are without power with more to come after a wild storm front ravaged the southeast this afternoon.

Storm cells have cut a swath of destruction from Stanthorpe to Brisbane and are heading to the Sunshine Coast and out to sea.

In Brisbane, there were reports of localised flooding in southwestern suburbs of Inala, Goodna, Darra and Redbank Plains, causing a number of vehicles to become stranded.

The awning of the Ipswich Health Centre and the ceiling of a pedestrian bridge collapsed this afternoon after heavy storm activity.

A witness said heavy winds caused the ceiling tear down and nearly hit the people sheltering underneath.

"The wind got under it and tore it down, it was hanging just about to the floor," he said.

He said the damage exposed electricals and disrupted traffic on Bell Street near the Ipswich Railway Station.

Police closed the street to traffic while repairs were made to the buildings.

The Brisbane CBD has received 40mm of rain since 9am, with similar falls around the region and wind gusts up to 90kmh.

Brisbane and Logan are now in clean-up mode with over 58,000 properties without power.

Localised flooding is also causing chaos on roads.

Wind gusts of 90km/hr buffeted Amberley at 1:26pm and Redland Bay at 2:20pm while 80km/hr winds were recorded at Archerfield at 1:48pm, at Redcliffe at 2:30pm and Applethorpe at 10:42am.

Brisbane's CBD was plunged into virtual darkness at about 1.30pm while the storm hit.

The weather bureau said Brisbane can probably breathe a sigh of relief, but there are no guarantees for later today.

"That might be it," forecaster Tony Wedd said.

"But we could get another burst this afternoon."

"These cells usually develop over higher ground. It can be clear one minute, and 30 minutes later you have a storm."



About 18,000 lightning strikes have already been recorded.

Emergency crews are on high alert with more than 58,000 homes are now without power, with more to come.

"I suspect that figure will continue to rise over the afternoon because the storm's just continuing," an Energex spokesman said.

"Winds are close to 100km/hr and there have been more than 12,000 lightning strikes recorded in the past 2 hours."

Residents are being warned to stay away from damaged power lines.

Many have been hit by lightning are pushed over by strong winds.

Concerns are also rising that flash flooding will seep into underground power cables.

"If any power lines are brought down, people should call Energex's priority number 13 19 62," the spokesman said.

"People should stay away from them.

"It's dangerous to go anywhere near them. If they call us we can get crews there as soon as possible."

Reports are streaming in that Kedron Brook, in Brisbane's inner-north, has broken its banks.



Earlier today, two people were killed in a road accident at Severnlea, just south of Stanthorpe.

Police have not confirmed the cause of the crash, but a severe hail storm was pelting the area at the time.

Another multi-car accident has just occurred on the Pacific Highway at Greenslopes, but no injuries have been reported.

The road carnage comes just 18 hours after two people were injured from yesterday's storms.

A woman, 70, was struck in the head by hailstones at Logan Hyperdome carpark at 4.30pm yesterday.

Another person was hospitalised when a roof was blown off a horse shed at Jimboomba, south of Brisbane.

The region's SES chief Eddie Bennet told The Courier-Mail 120 crew were on high alert.

He said volunteers still had 40 jobs outstanding from yesterday but were working hard.

Mr Bennet urged residents to be sensible.

"Take shelter, take cars undercover, secure loose objects, don't use phones during a storm and don't cross flooded roads," he warned.

Communities from the Gold Coast to Brisbane are now in the firing line.

The weather bureau expects potentially more intense storm across the region tomorrow.



Stanthorpe felt the fury of the storms this morning, when hail pelted uncovered vehicles in the streets.

The eastbound storms swept through the border town, southwest of Brisbane, about 11am.



About 1.25pm, it should break over other parts of Beaudesert, Coolangatta and Greenbank.

Residents are being warned to be prepare for more severe weather just 18 hours after hail smashed into properties across the southeast.

Up to 100 residents with smashed windows and damaged roofs from yesterday's storm could cop it again today.

State Emergency Services are warning residents to take cover.

“In light of the weather bureau’s advice, the SES is asking residents in affected areas to prepare for more storms," a spokeswoman said.

The weather bureau has confirmed severe storms could strike anytime after midday. Intense storm cells have already hit parts of northern NSW this morning.

"It's very very likely we're going to see storms, potentially severe," forecaster Ben Annells said.

"There is potential for hail and then tomorrow, with a trough getting closer, the storms could be even stronger," said Mr Annells.

Email your storm pics or MMS to 0428 258 117

Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast residents can expect the hot and humid conditions to continue today.

Trains and road traffic were delayed as commuters were hammered by more than 2500 lightning strikes, localised heavy rainfall and winds gusting to more than 75km/h.

Energex crews were working through the night to restore power to thousands of homes.

It said the worst hit areas were in the Beaudesert-Jimboomba areas, the southern Brisbane suburbs and the southern bayside, especially areas around Wynnum and Manly.

Weather forecaster Tony Wedd said unstable conditions would continue today, bringing the potential for even more violent storms.

Hail as large as cricket balls was reported in the Logan area, causing damage to cars and homes, he said.

Strong winds brought down power lines, branches fell onto other lines and trees were toppled.

The storm caused major disruption to train services on the Cleveland line between Murarrie and Manly.

Because of a signalling problem, passengers were forced to shift to buses, delaying travel by up to 30 minutes.

Officials said it was unclear when the rail fault would be repaired.

International and domestic flights at Brisbane Airport were delayed about 20 minutes during the storm when baggage handlers fled rain and lightning struck the tarmac. An airport spokesman said several flights were affected as the storm hit during peak flying time, from 5pm-5.30pm.

The State Emergency Service said crews had been called out to 169 jobs, including 74 in Logan and 34 in Brisbane.

Crews were repairing roofs damaged by hail and fallen trees and removing trees from roads.

More storms are predicted for the rest of the week.

Flood warnings are still current for 10 regions in Queensland and weather bureau forecaster Bryan Rowlstone warned that more flooding was expected during the weekend, when storms would be joined by rain bands, producing a "double whammy" effect.





Originally published as Storms batter the southeast