How common are tornadoes in Australia?

More common than you might think, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

A twister was captured on camera near Gladstone on Monday, with BoM also confirming a tornado on the Darling Downs the same day.

Forecaster Shane Kennedy told the ABC that BoM had assessed footage and confirmed a tornado had occurred just north of Pittsworth at about 11am.

It came as a shock to many, but BoM says tornadoes are “more common than you might think” in Australia.

Dozens of sightings are reported per year and many more go unreported in remote areas.

BoM says many of the stronger tornadoes in Australia are associated with a type of thunderstorm known as a supercell.

Which is exactly what hit the South East on Monday to kick off another week of wild weather.

BoM issued a warning on Monday as a warm and humid air mass combined with the strong winds of an upper trough generated severe thunderstorms.

Golf ball size hail hit areas of the South East that morning, with up to 51 millimetres of rain in places.

While BoM says there is no defined tornado season in Australia and that tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, they are more common in late spring to early summer.

Tornadoes can range in diameter from metres to hundreds of metres and last from a few seconds up to half an hour or longer.

Both also confirmed a tornado in the Central West of New South Wales late last month.