Overview of the severe weather events in South East Queensland

Queensland usually faces its highest risk of severe weather between November and April. By December 2023, much of the state had already experienced several major disaster events. These included severe bushfires in southern and northern Queensland, Tropical Cyclone Jasper, and flooding across northern areas.

In December 2023, a series of severe thunderstorms affected South East Queensland. Impacts were recorded from Gympie and Maryborough in the north through to the Scenic Rim and Gold Coast in the south. These storms produced giant hailstones, destructive winds and intense rainfall. In some locations, daily rainfall exceeded 100 millimetres.

Severe heat and high humidity also affected Queensland during this period. Temperatures regularly reached the high 30s across December 2023 and January 2024.

What happened

Between 15 and 16 December 2023, a severe thunderstorm impacted Brisbane and Ipswich. Wind gusts reached 169 kilometres per hour at Archerfield Airport. This exceeded the previous local record of 143 kilometres per hour.

Further severe storms occurred in the days that followed. Giant hailstones, measuring more than 5 centimetres in diameter, were reported in Gatton on 23 December. On 24 December, large hail fell across Burpengary, Dayboro, Morayfield and Narangba.

On 25 December, a powerful storm system caused damaging to locally destructive winds across the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim. The storm left a wide damage path, measuring around 3 to 4 kilometres across and up to 50 kilometres long.

Response and operations

Severe thunderstorms developed rapidly across Queensland from 4:00 pm on 25 December. The Bureau of Meteorology issued severe thunderstorm warnings for the Gold Coast, Logan and Scenic Rim regions.

From early evening, warnings were escalated to include “Very Dangerous Thunderstorms” due to the risk of giant hail and destructive winds. These warnings were updated frequently throughout the evening. In total, 22 severe thunderstorm warnings were issued that night, including five warnings at the highest level.

At 9:06 pm, the Standard Emergency Warning Signal was activated. This level of warning is only used when there is a risk of loss of life and major damage is expected.

By 9:48 pm, the main storm cells had moved offshore from the Gold Coast. However, rainfall and unstable conditions continued into the night. All severe thunderstorm warnings were cancelled at 10:19 pm.

Emergency services and power outages

The storms caused extensive damage across South East Queensland. Fallen trees, damaged buildings and downed powerlines were widespread. Power outages affected more than 126,000 customers at the peak of the event.

By 10:15 pm on 25 December, the State Emergency Service had received at least 221 requests for help from the Gold Coast, Logan and Scenic Rim areas. These included trees falling on homes and reports of a partially collapsed house at Tamborine Mountain. Emergency services advised that many more jobs were still being assessed.

The strongest wind gust officially recorded during this event was 106 kilometres per hour at the Gold Coast Seaway. Evidence from damaged buildings and infrastructure indicated that stronger gusts likely occurred in some locations.

Continued impacts on 26 December

On 26 December, severe thunderstorm warnings were again issued across a large part of Queensland. The warning area extended from Mackay in the north to the New South Wales border in the south.

Later that afternoon, warnings were upgraded to “Very Dangerous Thunderstorms” for areas including the western Wide Bay and Burnett, southern Central Highlands and Coalfields, and northern Darling Downs and Granite Belt.

Requests for SES assistance increased to 468. Additional support was requested from nearby regions and from interstate crews in New South Wales and Victoria through the AFAC National Resource Sharing Centre.

Storm activity eased along the southeast coast during the evening. All warnings were cancelled in the early hours of 27 December. Around 122,000 customers remained without power, and it was later confirmed that more than 1,000 powerlines had been brought down.

An Emergency Alert was issued in the Scenic Rim area, warning residents to stay away from fallen powerlines.

Heatwave and flooding impacts

These severe weather events occurred during an extended heatwave. South East Queensland experienced 22 days of heatwave conditions between 29 November 2023 and 1 January 2024.

High temperatures and humidity made recovery more difficult, particularly for vulnerable community members. Some areas were without power for several days, limiting access to cooling, communications and emergency information.

On 28 December, temperatures were forecast to reach the high 30s, well above the December average. Agencies prioritised power restoration and worked to provide alternative accommodation and heat health messages for people at higher risk.

Localised flooding also affected some communities. On the evening of 25 December, the Logan River at Beaudesert reached major flood levels following heavy rainfall in the catchment.

End of the year conditions

Hot and unstable weather continued toward the end of December. On 29 December, Brisbane recorded a temperature of 38.3 degrees Celsius. By this time, power had been restored to more than 100,000 homes and businesses.

Thunderstorms continued into the new year, with reports of flash flooding, large hail and damaging winds in areas north of Brisbane. The highest daily rainfall recorded by 31 December was 127.6 millimetres at Beerburrum. Many locations also recorded their highest December overnight temperatures.

Impacts and consequences

Tragically, seven people lost their lives during these severe storm events. This included:

• Three men who died after a boat capsized in Moreton Bay
• Two women who drowned in a stormwater drain in Gympie
• One child who died in a stormwater drain in Brisbane
• One woman who was struck by a falling tree on the Gold Coast

A small number of people were treated for storm‑related injuries.

The impacts were made worse by the Christmas and New Year holiday period, when many services were operating with reduced staffing. Local councils led clean‑up efforts, supported by neighbouring councils, state agencies, volunteers and private contractors.

Relief and recovery

Due to the sudden nature of the storms, recovery activities began quickly. Pop‑up recovery hubs were established in affected areas by 30 December, once access was restored.

A request for assistance was submitted to the Australian Government on 30 December 2023. As a result, Disaster Relief Australia deployed 50 personnel from 4 January 2024 to support clean‑up efforts until 17 January.

Clean‑up works included removing fallen trees and debris, stabilising damaged structures, clearing roads and restoring access to homes and community buildings.

Eight South East Queensland local government areas were activated for disaster recovery support. These were Banana, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Murweh, Moreton Bay, Redland and Scenic Rim.

Review and observations

On 18 April 2024, the Minister for Police and Community Safety asked the Queensland Office of the Inspector‑General of Emergency Management to review the 2023–24 severe weather season.

The review will examine severe storms, tropical cyclones, flooding and bushfires that occurred across Queensland between 1 October 2023 and 30 April 2024. The final report is expected to be delivered in September 2024.