Week-Long Weather Crisis Grips Queensland
Queensland is bracing for an extended period of wild weather as heatwave conditions fuel severe thunderstorm outbreaks predicted to affect large parts of the state throughout the week. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued multiple warnings as the situation intensifies.
Immediate Severe Storm Threat
Severe thunderstorms are forecast for parts of southeast Queensland on Monday, including metropolitan areas around the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast. Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Felim Hanniffy has described Monday's thunderstorms as potentially "very dangerous" with significant risks of giant hail, destructive wind gusts and heavy rainfall.
This warning comes just one day after powerful storms smashed parts of the southeast, with whooping 8cm hail recorded in Logan, south of Brisbane. "Certainly there's also a significant risk of some very dangerous storms and like we saw on Sunday evening," Hanniffy confirmed.
According to weather experts, Monday is expected to be the peak storm day for the southeast region. The storm activity is predicted to move further inland on Tuesday around the Darling Downs and Granite Belt areas before broadening across a large swath of eastern Queensland and up into the northern interior by mid-week.
Extended Heatwave Conditions
The stormy conditions are combining with intense heatwave warnings that have been issued for large parts of Queensland and will continue throughout the week. Maximum temperatures in the low to mid-40s are expected over large parts of western and central areas, with overnight minimum temperatures remaining in the mid to high 20s.
In eastern regions, temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-30s to low 40s, with overnight minimums in the low to mid-20s. The BOM warning states that "severe to extreme heatwave conditions are expected to intensify and extend eastward over coming days to cover the majority of the state by early next week."
High humidity is adding to the discomfort, creating challenging conditions for thousands of residents. "Along with the heat, it may be feeling very humid at times with those very high dew points," Hanniffy noted.
Affected Locations and Safety Advice
Locations likely to be impacted include Brisbane Metropolitan Area, Birdsville, Clermont, Charleville, Emerald, Longreach, Rockhampton, Roma, Thargomindah and Winton. Authorities are urging residents to take the warnings seriously and implement safety measures.
"For those that work outdoors, it's about seeking shade and staying hydrated," Hanniffy advised. "If you don't have access to air conditioning in your house, put the blinds closed during the day to stop the house warming up."
While temperatures across western Queensland should begin to cool to average levels by mid-week, other parts of the state may only see a brief reprieve from the high temperatures across the weekend before the heat begins to build again. The combination of stormy conditions and extreme heat creates a challenging weather pattern that Queensland residents will need to monitor closely throughout the week.
