Hail as big as golf balls fell from a severe storm in Queensland, Australia, Wednesday afternoon, leaving damage that knocked out power to thousands and forced the closure of at least one school.
The large storm hit the town of Chinchilla, where damage was reported to many buildings and the hail quickly piled up on streets and yards, turning the scene into something that resembled winter. As many as six patients had to be evacuated from Chinchilla Hospital after the building sustained hail damage, the Australian Broadcasting Company said.
Lightning crashes in the background and hail covers the runway during a severe thunderstorm in Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. (Instagram/skytrans_airlines)
Damage from the storm is expected to rise into the millions of dollars, according to the Chronicle.
News Australia reported power was knocked out to at least 3,300 customers in Chinchilla, and Chinchilla Christian School was closed Thursday after it was damaged by the storm.
According to a separate ABC report, the State Emergency Service fielded some 120 calls from Chinchilla residents who reported roof collapses and other types of serious damage.
"At the moment our lawn here looks like a snow field," resident Bill McCutcheon told ABC. "I can see that our trees here have been almost totally stripped of their leaves."
Hailstorms in the Chinchilla area are fairly rare, according to Australia's climatology. They're most frequently reported in areas along the continent's southeastern coast, which is also where the population is most dense.
Below, we've embedded several images and videos from social media users who documented the intense storm.
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