Just when you think Mother Nature had thrown it all off the east coast of Australia in recent months, more severe weather warnings came in the form of strong winds.
These pose their own threats, and authorities warn that the combination of wet ground and strong winds is bringing dangerous conditions.
What worries them?
Meteorological and emergency authorities warn that trees and power lines are likely to fall, endangering people and homes.
After record rains in May, the soil is saturated, which means tree roots can’t stand as hard as they normally would on drier soils.
Now add strong winds, and these trees could fall.
In a weather warning this morning, the meteorological office predicts that “harmful winds with maximum gusts of more than 90 kilometers per hour in the south-east interior, extending south-east, including Brisbane, are possible.” Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
Strong winds in southeast Queensland caused damage to trees after months of rain. (ABC News: Alexandria Utting)
“Saturated soils in south-east Queensland are increasing the risk of strong winds and falling trees and power lines,” the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warns.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a tree fell on power lines in Kenmore causing a series of sparks and threatening to ignite a fire.
A neighbor captured spectacular footage of the incident.
The tree that fell on Kenmore caused power lines to fall and threatened to start a fire. (Facebook: Agnela Burke)
There have also been reports of trees in Carseldine and East Brisbane.
Queensland emergency services and firefighters received 33 calls for help from 7 a.m., mostly from fallen trees and branches and some from roof damage.
But the BOM warns that falling trees could occur in a wide range of locations.
“Locations that may be affected include Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Maroochydore, Gympie, Stanthorpe and Ipswich,” he said.
When will the weather calm down?
Helen Reid, of the weather office, said wind conditions are expected to continue through Wednesday and beyond, although they will be made easier in Brisbane.
“There may still be one [damaging winds] warning to surrounding regions [Brisbane] at least tomorrow, “the forecaster said.
Then things will get colder.
“This southwest wind will bring a little more fresh air,” Ms. Reid said.
“As these winds subside until Wednesday and Thursday, we expect minimum temperatures to be in single figures when we reach Thursday morning.”
Mrs. Reid suggests finding a sunny spot out of the wind to keep warm.
Posted 1 hour ago 1 hour Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 2:28 AM, updated 14 m ago, 14 minutes ago, Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 3:14 AM