Deluge dumps on southside

Amateur photographer John McGrath captured this photo of the thunderstorm as it hung over North Rockhampton from his home in Yeppoon.

Contributed

ROCKHAMPTON'S southside had 36mm of rain dumped in just 90 minutes on Tuesday night as severe thunderstorms swept through the region.

Photographer John McGrath, who took the photo on the right, said the rain was nearly horizontal at his Yeppoon home.

"Every single window leaked," he said yesterday.

"In an hour we got an inch of rain."

Emerald also got hit hard, recording winds of nearly 85kmh at the airport.

However, a spokeswoman for the Central Highlands Regional Council said no major damage was caused.

Robert Ferguson, SES director for the Rockhampton area, said crews attended minor damage in Emerald where branches had fallen onto homes.

Mr Ferguson urged people to stay indoors during a storm and to make sure loose items were secured.

Possible thunderstorms are forecast for the rest of the week.