We have had a drought here fore years. All water is rationed and the city's dams dropped to below 25% capacity. All the gardens have died, houses have cracked because the soil is so dry and when I was in the USA I couldn't believe that people hosed their paths.
Well all that has changed. These huge destructive storms have been sweeping in over the state of Queensland bringing more rain than we have seen in years along with occasional tornado. The storms have swept in from the west.

The colour of the clouds told us we were in for trouble.

Then the wind,rain, hail, lightning and thunder hit the city.

Some of the lightening strikes were spectacular.



Along with the damage that came with the storms.


Then more storms came through. The winds were not as destructive but there was lots of rain. At Ipswich outside of Brisbane the river rose 15metres over night. In the city the tunnels have filled with water and there is traffic chaos. The trees and logs coming down the river has caused all the ferries to stop running. Rail lines are broken and buses can't get through. There are still more storms forecast so it is battle stations.
(I don't know who took these photos, they were Emailed to me from a friend who had forwarded them on from somewhere else.)