Thousands without power after southeast Queensland storm
Thousands without power after southeast Queensland storm
A fierce storm that swept through the Brisbane region has left two people injured and thousands without power.

A traffic controller was struck by lightning on the Gold Coast. She had no visible injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution.

A 13-year-old boy was taken to hospital with hip and leg injuries when a tree fell on him at Forest Lake, in Brisbane's southwest.

Electricity supplier Energex was working throughout the night to restore power to nearly 7000 customers.

There were more than 6000 lightning strikes during the Wednesday afternoon storm that also brought strong winds and hail to the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane.



More storms are predicted for Thursday, the official start of summer, as Queensland gets ready for a heatwave.

Thursday will be a preview of the swelter to come, with a predicted top of 33C in Brisbane.

The mercury is tipped to soar past 40C in southern parts of state and a top of 38C is forecast for Brisbane on Friday, nine degrees above the December average.

Source: AAP