A mother was left battered and bruised after shielding her baby daughter from tennis ball-sized hailstones during a storm.
Fiona Simpson from Kingaroy, Queensland, was driving with her mother and daughter when they ran into the storm.
The hailstorms punched through her windscreen, prompting Simpson to throw her body across her child in an effort to protect her.
She posted pictures of the injuries she sustained from hospital, remarking: “I’ve learned my lesson today, never drive in a hail storm!”
A series of super-cell storms and tornadoes tore roofs from homes and destroyed crops across southern Queensland on Thursday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
At Blackwater, in central Queensland, winds gusted nearly 90mph, a wind speed associated with a Category 2 cyclone.
The winds tore roofs off homes and businesses and hail destroyed wheat, barley, melon and stone fruit crops, downed power lines and cut roads.
About 9,000 properties remain without power, down from 18,000 on Thursday, with dozens of extra crews sent to the region to repair the damage.
