The thick blanket of fog covered large parts of eastern Queensland with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of the possibility of severe storms later in the day.

The fog  engulfed the south-east, stretching west to Gatton and as far north as Cairns.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Pieter Claassen told ABC Radio Brisbane several factors have provided the perfect conditions for fog.

“Light winds, a weak ridge in place along the coastline and a lot of moisture as well has been feeding into the coastal regions the last few days,” he said.

While the sea of grey was expected to lift by about 10am, Claassen said showers would set in during the afternoon before the possibility of thunderstorms late this evening.

“It’ll reach Brisbane very late in the day today, so more like just before midnight potentially,” he said.

“Then heading into tomorrow morning as well we’ll see those showers and the odd thunderstorm linger around into late morning tomorrow morning before they clear off the coast by the afternoon.”