Sonali Tiwary
South-East Queensland Supercell Storm Cuts Power to 76,000+ Homes and Closes 20 Logan Schools
A destructive supercell smashed South-East Queensland on Wednesday afternoon, November 11, cutting power to over 76,000 homes (peaking above 80,000), including 43,000+ in Logan. Energex recorded 50,000 lightning strikes and 400+ fallen powerlines. 80mm of rain fell in 30 minutes at Wishart and 75mm at Chandler. Wind gusts reached 96 km/h at Brisbane Airport. A tree crushed a car at Munruben and 20+ schools closed in Logan.
If you live in Logan, the Scenic Rim, or Brisbane’s southern suburbs, prepare for extended power restoration times after the supercell downed more than 400 powerlines and damaged the Jimboomba substation. At least 20 schools across Logan are closed today due to Category 1 cyclone-strength wind damage. Keep clear of all fallen wires, photograph roof or car damage immediately for insurance claims, and check council dashboards before commuting.
The true grid bottleneck is at Jimboomba: damage to a single Energex substation there knocked out over 9,000 Scenic Rim properties simultaneously, meaning street line crews clearing the 400+ fallen wires cannot re-energize those homes until high-voltage substation repairs finish. Rural mini-storms destroyed station roofs and flipped a 40-foot shipping container in regional Queensland before official BoM warnings triggered. BoM meteorologists Harry Clarke and Nicholas Thompson cited wind shear damage. This was the second major supercell/hail outbreak in eight days (following the November 3 overnight hail dump) fueled by warm coastal moisture and strong wind shear.
Why are Scenic Rim and Logan power outages taking so long to fix after the Queensland supercell? Restoration is delayed because the supercell brought down more than 400 individual powerlines across South-East Queensland and partially damaged the Jimboomba substation. That single substation fault cut supply to over 9,000 Scenic Rim homes, while 43,000+ Logan properties require street-by-street debris clearance and line reconstruction.
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