Brisbane, Australia, walloped by strongest storm in 30 years

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

November 15,2016; 8:47PM,EST

 

 

Violent thunderstorms with hail and hurricane-force winds swept through Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday.
A string of violent weather blasted the area after a front ushered in strong storms to the area.
The Brisbane airport recorded a wind gust of 157 km/h (98 mph), the strongest wind speed recorded at the hub in about 30 years.
"These storms brought wind gusts equivalent to a Category 2 tropical cyclone or a Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.
The Brisbane Airport was forced to close for a brief period of time on Saturday, as reported by Australia's ABC News. Runway lights were knocked out by the storm, forcing some flights to be diverted to other airports during the closure.
Some of the planes at the Brisbane airport sustained damage.
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In addition, wind gusts of 85 km/h (53 mph) were reached in Oakley, and 96-km/h (60-mph) wind gusts were recorded at Peel Island.
According to the Courier Mail, Queensland's Roadside Assistance association (RACQ), received more than 200 claims of damaged cars and homes due to the strong winds and uprooted trees.
Strong storms hit Brisbane over the weekend. (Instagram photo/joshmccabe20)
Some of the hardest-hit areas were in Bundaberg, Maryborough and Caloundra.
"The line of storms also generated more than 70,000 lightning strikes and brought hail to many communities in the area," Nicholls added.
Thunderstorms that reached Maryborough on Saturday brought impressive hail that lingered in yards (InstagramPhoto/khan.phwa18)
Power outages and travel disruptions followed the storm, lingering into Sunday.
As Australia's weather continues to transition from spring into summer, a shower will occasionally dampen Brisbane and put a damper on cleanup operations into Thursday. An extended period of dry weather will follow from Friday into at least this weekend.