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Cold front stretches from Stanthorpe to Townsville – icy blast to last all week

A cold front has cooled down most parts of Queensland’s south and it will even reach Townsville over the coming days, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says.

Jul 14, 2020, updated Jul 14, 2020
Granite Belt temperatures will remain below 10 degrees all week.(Supplied: Tiana Morriss - File Photo)

Granite Belt temperatures will remain below 10 degrees all week.(Supplied: Tiana Morriss - File Photo)

The cooler weather is expected to last the entire week, with the temperature also remaining low over the weekend.

BOM forecaster Rosa Hoff said there were some “single-digit temperatures in our overnight weather for most of the interior”.

On Queensland’s Granite Belt, the temperature is expected to drop to 0 degrees Celsius in Stanthorpe overnight and stay below 10C for the rest of the week.

Cold and windy conditions on the Darling Downs have prompted the BOM to issue a warning for graziers with at-risk livestock.

“Any livestock exposed to the cool and windy conditions could suffer in those situations,” Ms Hoff said.

There is a slight chance of snow on peaks in the Granite Belt area, including at Girraween National Park, but Ms Hoff says it is unlikely at this stage.

“While we do have some showers on the forecast, they’re not too likely to freeze,” she said.

“We could see the odd airborne [bit] of ice but unfortunately not really any significant snow.”

If snow did settle on the ground this week, it would be the first time in Queensland since 2015.

Girraween Environmental Lodge manager Paul Mengotti said it would be exciting for locals and tourists if there was some snow.

“We love a bit of snow — it’s always quite exciting to get out there and see everything blanketed in white,” he said.

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But Mr Mengotti is not relying on snow to boost bookings at the lodge this year.

The lodge has already been booked solid with tourists from Brisbane and the Gold Coast, making this one of the region’s busiest tourist seasons yet.

“I’m sure as usual we’ll get lots of enquiries [about the potential snow], but it’ll be a little bit hard to find space for them at the moment,” he said.

The cold front is already making its way north, with cooler weather along the east coast expected to kick in today.

“Townsville will be experiencing the same southern air that we have in southern Queensland — it’s quite a strong flow of southerly air and it’s getting pretty far north,” Ms Hoff said.

The BOM has predicted temperatures in Townsville will drop to the low 20s for the rest of the week, with rainfall expected on the weekend.

On Friday, the front is predicted to make its way further north, with areas on the Cape York Peninsula expected to record a drop in temperatures too.

– ABC / Jessica Rendall and Lucy Robinson

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