Dial down the aircon (and maybe grab a jumper) as cooler temps on the way
Queensland’s seemingly endless summer could soon bid us farewell with more rain and cooler weather starting from late Thursday on the cards.
Storms are predicted to hit today and tomorrow ahead of a cool change late Thursday.
Weather forecasters are monitoring unsettled conditions from the south-east coast to southern and western districts that may bring heavy rain and storms with strong winds and large hail this afternoon and tonight.
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of flash flooding and high winds in some areas still soaked from previous downpours.
The highest 24-hour rainfall total to 9am today was 73 mm recorded at Allora near Toowoomba.
Residents in Brisbane may be in for disturbed sleep overnight with a band of storms due to arrive in the early hours of the morning, bringing rain that may hang around for some hours and cause havoc during the peak hour morning commute.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Kimba Wong said the rain should give way to fresh westerly winds tomorrow afternoon, which will settle overnight to generate cooler temperatures on Friday morning.
“We could be looking at our lowest minimum temperatures so far this year,” she said.
“The westerlies will flush out all that hot humid air, bringing conditions that will be far more autumnal. Temperatures will be in the low teens in Brisbane and possibly in single digits on the Granite Belt.”
Maximum daytime temperatures are expected in the mid to high 20s next week, with patchy rain in some parts of the state reforming.
Wong said the outlook was showing a “50-50 chance” of rain in coastal areas for the Easter weekend.
The possibility of more heavy rain comes as works continue to reseal road surfaces, repair culverts and clear drains damaged during the most recent summer deluge.
Roadworks will continue to test the patience of motorists, with repairs to sections of the Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road, for example, expected to take eight months to complete from the pummelling the road took over February and March.
A spokesperson said the the safety of motorists and road workers was top priority and urged the public to drive to traffic conditions and obey all signs, traffic signals and instructions from traffic controllers wherever roadworks were in operation.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said the heavy rainfall had led to widespread and severe damage across the region, requiring a “significant program of reconstruction works” to be completed over the next 18 months.
