Sydney [Australia], November 2: Nine people attending a school fair were pelted with giant hailstones in a supercell thunderstorm, as Australia's east is warned more wild weather is on the way.
Giant hailstones, some measuring as big as 9cm, and heavy rain smashed southeast Queensland on Saturday afternoon.
Paramedics assessed nine people, all with hail related injuries, at the 150th Anniversary of Esk State School, about an hour northwest of Brisbane.
One woman was taken to Ipswich Hospital with neck and head injuries, a man in his 20s was taken to Gatton Hospital with minor burns, and two women - one in her 20s and another in her 30s, were taken to hospitals privately, also with minor injuries.
Bands of thunderstorms lashed a region stretching from central Queensland down to northern NSW on Saturday, drenching Brisbane and the Sunshine and Gold Coasts as they moved east, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing alerts well into the night.
There were reports of shattered car windows and damaged homes in some areas as the storms brought hailstones up to 9cm wide and gusts up to 100km/h.
As of 11am Sunday morning 4500 properties in southeast Queensland were still without power.
Some of the most affected by the storms included Somerset, Brisbane and Ipswich, Mr Crisafulli said.
He said while the Banana Shire wasn't included in the worst affected regions, a wedding at Biloela showed how quickly the storm came in.
One of the 120 attendees needed to be hospitalised after wild weather damaged structures, downed trees and blocked roads.
Mr Crisafulli said it had been a tough week with crop netting, irrigation equipment and some fruit and vegetables in Bundaberg also significantly affected by storms on Friday.
"I want Queenslanders to know we're prepared for this," he told reporters on Sunday.
"I think that's what makes the state so resilient, the ability to be able to deal with what Mother Nature throws at us."
In NSW, parts of the Hunter, mid-north coast, and central tablelands on Saturday recorded hailstones as large as 7cm, while Grafton in the Northern Rivers region received 70mm of rain in half an hour.
Though storms are set to continue into Sunday, they are expected to be contained to a smaller area.
"Many places will not see the same risk," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines said.
"But that doesn't mean there's no risk at all."
The weather bureau is warning more wild conditions are on the way, with severe storms, damaging winds and giant hail forecast for Sunday afternoon.
Glen Alderton, from Queensland's SES, called on residents to be aware of the risks.
"If you are in an area where you do hear thunder, it's probably a good cue to go inside," he told Nine's Weekend Today on Sunday.
Source:Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
