Severe thunderstorms are bringing damaging winds and large hailstones to south-east Queensland with storms developing in Brisbane following the sweltering heat across the state.
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Storms have already begun to impact train lines with trains being suspended after a tree fell onto the overhead powerlines at Eagle Junction.
Queensland Rail said trains were currently suspended in both directions between Bowen Hills and Northgate stations with major delays expected.
The Hendra station's rail crossing gates have also closed down due to power loss and a fallen tree.
As a result, Zillman Road and Kitchener Road were temporarily closed but have now reopened.
Reports of more fallen trees have caused power outages, which has affected traffic signals south of Brisbane at Calamvale.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads said there were several traffic signals along Beaudesert Road that were not functioning.
They said delays could be expected in all directions and urged drivers to proceed with caution.
Brisbane Airport also warned flights might experience delays until the storm passes.
"If there’s severe weather on any of the major flight paths into Brisbane, planes may be slowed to avoid it, or diverted around it," the Brisbane Airport website stated.
"Where there’s bad weather at one of our major connecting airports like Sydney, the delays at that airport may flow on to us."
Other areas affected will include the Gold Coast, Redland and parts of Logan, Brisbane and Moreton Bay Council areas, according to the weather bureau.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned thunderstorms were detected on the radar near Albany Creek, Enoggera and Nerang at 12.30pm on Wednesday.
"These thunderstorms are moving towards the east to south-east," the warning said.
"They are forecast to affect Coolangatta and Cleveland by 1.05pm and Point Lookout and Amity Point by 1.35pm."
A second warning said people in the south-east coast and parts of Wide Bay and Burnett Forecast Districts would also be hit by storms and large hailstones in the next several hours, including Maroochydore, Gympie, Bundaberg, Caboolture, Coolangatta and Ipswich.
Meanwhile, a fire weather warning has labelled Capricornia, Central Highlands and Coalfields were in "catastrophic fire danger".
Central Coast and Whitsundays, Darling Downs and Granite Belt, Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast were urged to be on the side of caution after being labelled with a "severe fire danger" forecast.
“Severe to extreme fire dangers are forecast for the south-eastern corner of the state and central districts today, with locally catastrophic conditions over inland parts of the Capricornia district and eastern parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields district,” the 1.20pm warning said.
“These very significant fire dangers are due to the combination of hot conditions and strong, gusty, dry westerly winds that will extend over the warning area this afternoon and into the evening.
“Thunderstorm activity may produce dry lightning which has the potential to ignite fires.
"Fires under these conditions will develop and spread extremely rapidly.”
The Rural Fire Service Queensland advised people to action their Bushfire Survival Plan now and monitor incoming fire and weather warnings.
In an emergency, residents should call triple zero.
