Isolated pockets of hail storms have unleashed snow-like conditions over a string of towns in Queensland’s south-east.

According to meteorologist Baden Gilbert from the Bureau of Meteorology, Toogoolawah, located 120 kilometers northwest of Brisbane, experienced an unexpected arctic chill yesterday afternoon.

“If you happened to be caught in one of those hailstorms, you likely felt a significant local temperature drop as the storm swept through,” Gilbert explained.

The suburb of Lacey’s Creek near Dayboro was also peppered with hailstones that blanketed Emma Henderson’s backyard.

“It went for about 40 minutes and it was just like the storm was sitting above us,” Henderson said.

Gilbert said the event was driven by an upper trough which covered a broad area of south-eastern Queensland.

“But the storms and showers that are driving that hail are quite isolated in nature so it can be quite hit and miss,” he said.

About 150 kilometres west in Crows Nest, residents were building snowmen.