More than 81,000 households across south-east Queensland lost power on Wednesday night after “very dangerous” storms and destructive winds swept the region, with almost 60,000 of those outages in the Logan area and more than 400 fallen powerlines reported to distributor Energex.
The damage was reported by ABC News, which said power was also cut in the Scenic Rim, the Moreton Bay Region and the Brisbane and Gympie council areas. Energex said more fallen lines were expected as crews worked through the night.
”Cement poles that have been smashed”
Energex spokesperson Justin Coomber said initial reports showed “extensive damage” to the network, and that some customers weren’t expected to have power restored until “well into tomorrow”.
“We’re hearing reports from crews that there are cement poles that have been smashed … and that shows the ferocity of those winds,” Mr Coomber said.
Energex recorded about 120,000 lightning strikes during Wednesday’s south-east Queensland storms, the ABC reported on 11 November 2026.
“Obviously some of those lightning strikes unfortunately hit our equipment and have caused lots of damage as well,” Mr Coomber said.
“We’re hearing reports from crews that there are cement poles that have been smashed … and that shows the ferocity of those winds.”
80mm in half an hour, 300 SES jobs in Logan
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a 96 km/h gust at Brisbane Airport just after 5pm. At Wishart, in Brisbane’s south, almost 80mm of rain fell in 30 minutes. Chandler and Leslie Harrison Dam both copped 75mm in the same half hour, and 2cm hailstones were observed at Canungra in the Scenic Rim.
The SES had 300 tasks in Logan on Wednesday night, responding to people trapped in cars and houses. Flash flooding hit roads around Bahrs Scrub, Belmont, Gumdale, Loganholme, Logan Reserve, Logan Village, Rochedale, Stockleigh and Wellington Point.
TransLink warned of delays of up to an hour on the Beenleigh line and half-hour delays on the Cleveland, Ferny Grove and Shorncliffe lines. A spokesperson for Brisbane Airport said one inbound flight from Sydney had been diverted to the Gold Coast, with further delays and cancellations expected.
Bureau meteorologist Harry Clarke said wind was the “primary factor” in the storms.
“It missed our official wind observation stations unfortunately but no doubt some gusts over 100 km/h based on some of the damage we’ve seen,” Mr Clarke said.
What Thursday looks like from the ute
The repair sequence after a night like this runs in a strict order, and the first part of it isn’t yours. Smashed poles, downed conductors and damaged network gear belong to Energex crews. Every fallen line stays live until the distributor says otherwise, and that applies whether it’s across a road, a fence or a job you were booked on this morning.
The work that lands on local sparkies starts at the property. Where wind has pulled a service line off a house or taken the roof structure it was fixed to, reconnection can’t happen until the point of attachment and the consumer mains are made good, and that’s licensed electrical work in every state and territory.
The same goes for a switchboard that has taken water or a surge. There’s no version of that job a homeowner can legally sort out with a screwdriver on Thursday morning.
Behind the electrical work sits the trade queue everyone in Logan already knows: tarping and temporary roofing on the houses that lost sheets, tree and arborist crews clearing the drives and carports, then insurance assessors, then the real roofing and ceiling repairs weeks later. Wet ceilings from 80mm of rain in half an hour don’t dry out on their own.
A number of schools are expected to be closed on Thursday, which has its own effect on crew numbers, because the sparkie with two kids at home isn’t on a roof at 7am.
Thursday’s cells head inland
Mr Clarke said the dangerous storm had moved out to sea, but the bureau is forecasting more activity on Thursday, with the focus shifting west.
“Tomorrow afternoon we’re likely to see storms kick off out towards the Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and the Ipswich area. They will struggle to make it to the coast,” Mr Clarke said.
That’s the thing worth watching if you’re running a crew. A second round through the Lockyer and Ipswich pulls restoration resources west while Logan’s network is still being patched, and it puts a fresh set of properties into the same queue. Check the bureau’s warnings before you load the ute, and don’t plan a full day around a site that still hasn’t got supply.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fix my own switchboard or service line after storm damage?
No. Reconnecting a service line or repairing a storm-damaged switchboard is licensed electrical work in every Australian state and territory, not a DIY job.
Is it safe to touch or go near a fallen power line?
No. Every fallen line stays live until the distributor, Energex, says otherwise, regardless of where it has fallen.
When will power be restored in Logan after the storms?
Energex spokesperson Justin Coomber said some customers weren’t expected to have power back until “well into tomorrow”, with crews working through the night to assess damage.
Sourced from ABC News, Bureau of Meteorology. Original article.
