Coast beaches battered again

GOLD Coast beachgoers have been told to stay vigilant, with hazardous surf whipped up by violent eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga expected to continue today.

The volcano erupted on Saturday afternoon, sparking an immediate tsunami warming from the weather bureau.

The warning was cancelled on Sunday morning.

Council did not stand up its disaster management team despite closing all beaches because of the heavy surf.

Several Gold Coast surf life saving clubs cancelled their weekly nippers programs.

Meteorologist Steven Hadley said while the Tsunami warning was cancelled, beachgoers on the Coast would continue to see heavy surf generated by Cyclone Cody.

“Even though we saw a reduction in the size of tsunami waves, we still have a hazardous surf warning which is related to tropical Cyclone Cody which is sitting in the area between NZ and Fiji,” he said.

“Tropical Cyclone Cody is causing an easterly swell which is impacting the Coast.”

Mr Hadley said showers and potential storms were expected to hit the region throughout the week.

On Sunday morning, the Gold Coast woke to a storm around 2am which unleashed more than 150mm of rain.

“There is a risk of seeing some more storms but they are more likely to be further inland,” Mr Hadley said.

“These storms and the one on Sunday morning are unrelated to Tropical Cyclone Cody.

“There was an inland trough in NSW which generated the thunderstorm on Sunday morning.”

Satellite images of the volcano showed vast shockwaves ricocheting from the undersea blast, which triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific.

Warnings were also issued for New Zealand’s north and east coasts, while Fijians were told to avoid the water.

Waves struck Tonga, where resident Dr Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau tweeted it was “Raining ash and tiny pebbles”, with “darkness blanketing the sky”.