A severe storm affected the Gold Coast. Trees were felled in the Currumbin Valley area. The Coolangatta airport automatic weather station recorded a wind gust of 74km/h.

The Gold Coast Seaway (AWS) recorded a gust of 87km/h. Storms then moved northwards through Ipswich and greater Brisbane. Heavy rainfall, flash flooding and wind damage to trees was reported from a number of areas. A few houses were unroofed by wind at Ipswich and golf ball sized hail was also reported. Flash flooding was reported from Fortitude Valley, Woolloongabba, Oxley and Coorparoo. Several motorists needed to be rescued from their cars in floodwater.

Other areas to be affected by storms include Warwick where golf ball sized hail was reported from a storm in the area and Kenilworth in the far north of the Southeast Coast, where trees fell on caravans at a campsite. From the 24 to 26 January 2004, a ridge of high pressure extended south of Tasmania over to New Zealand. This placed Brisbane in a hot humid north to north westerly air stream for the week.

These conditions produced a succession of severe thunderstorms causing widespread damage in south-east Queensland, particularly in Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. The towns affected included, Currumbin, Coolangatta, Fortitude Valley, Woolloongabba, Oxley, Coorparoo, Warrick, Ipswich, Bundamba, Bellbowrie, Calliope, Jimboomba, Beaudesert, Gatton, Nanango, Archerfield, Toowoomba, Kawana Waters, Caloundra, Morerton Bay, Maryborough and Rockhampton.

The AWS at Amberley RAAF base recorded a wind gust of 111km per hour and sustained a wind of 100km per hour for a ten minute period. Severe wind combined with large hailstorms caused widespread damage across the affected areas. Houses were subsequently affected by fallen trees and debris. Furthermore there was damage to infrastructure including roads and power lines where 121,000 houses in the Brisbane area lost power. The Insurance Council of Australia estimated the 2004 damage at $28.5m with the 2007 estimated repeated cost of $35m.