Overview
- Roughly 36,000 to 38,000 customers remain offline in south‑east Queensland, with Energex targeting majority restoration by Wednesday evening and warning Bribie Island and parts of the Sunshine Coast may take longer.
- The Insurance Council of Australia has declared a catastrophe, reporting nearly 28,000 claims to date and cautioning residents about opportunistic disaster chasers.
- State Emergency Service crews logged more than 2,000 requests for help as supercell storms brought hail up to 14 centimetres and winds up to 107 km/h, downing hundreds of powerlines.
- Mobile coverage and transport were disrupted, and seven state schools remain closed on Wednesday due to power and IT issues following earlier closures.
- The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts further severe thunderstorms this week along with an eastward‑building heatwave that will keep temperatures well above average across much of Queensland.