Residents in southern Queensland are being warned to prepare for severe thunderstorms expected to develop this afternoon, bringing damaging winds and large hail.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says thunderstorms are likely to form across far southwestern and southern regions before moving into the southeast later today. Areas that could be affected include Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley, Toowoomba, and as far north as Kingaroy.
Forecasters warn that storms may produce wind gusts in excess of 90 kilometres per hour and hail between 2 and 5 centimetres in diameter.
Senior meteorologist Harry Clark said the unstable conditions are being driven by warm air combining with a trough pushing in from the west.
“We’re broadly expecting thunderstorms and showers to form across southern Queensland this afternoon,” he said.
“Any severe thunderstorm activity will bring the risk of damaging wind gusts and large hail.”
The system is expected to remain into the weekend, with Saturday likely to bring overcast skies and periods of rain across the southeast, including Brisbane and the Gold Coast. A slight chance of further thunderstorms also remains for Saturday.