Overview
- A sudden microburst struck Southport around 3:15pm, with the Bureau of Meteorology recording gusts over 80 km/h and issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of south‑east Queensland.
- Queensland Police enacted a Public Safety Preservation Act declaration at 3:45pm, setting an exclusion zone from Gold Coast Highway to the Broadwater, bounded by North Street and Loders Creek.
- The tower crane partially collapsed and remains unstable, and engineers plan to disassemble the 30‑tonne structure using two additional cranes.
- Energex reported nearly 8,000 customers without power by late afternoon and about 15 downed power lines in the Southport area, with restoration to proceed when conditions are safe.
- TransLink suspended trams between Southport and Gold Coast University Hospital due to damage to overhead lines, and a nearby holiday park was evacuated after tents and caravans were damaged.