Spring sunshine to bring hot weather to south-east Queensland

South-east Queensland is set for a burst of spring heat, with Brisbane forecast to reach 33°C by Friday. Forecasters said temperatures could climb into the mid-30s in the region over the weekend.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster James Pescott said a large high-pressure system over southern Australia was drifting east. As it weakens, a trough moving across southern Queensland will pull warmer air from inland areas toward the south-east and east coast.

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At the moment the main thing driving our weather is a large high-pressure system over southern Australia, and that's drifting slowly eastwards.

Scattered coastal showers are expected in eastern districts until Tuesday, but rainfall totals should ease by midweek. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast could reach 29°C, while Longreach and Mount Isa are forecast to hit 35°C. Beach water temperatures are around 20°C, typical for this time of year.

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As we start spring, the temperatures will rise really from midweek as that high-pressure system weakens and we have a weak trough system move across southern Queensland.

The end of winter has brought uneven rainfall across Queensland. Townsville recorded only 4 millimetres since the start of June, its driest winter in nearly 20 years, while areas between Cairns and Tully received up to 160 per cent of their winter average.

The contrast also appeared on the Sunshine Coast. Sunshine Coast Airport recorded 284mm since June 1, about 15 per cent above its winter average and its wettest winter since 2016. In nearby Beerburrum, only 126mm fell, below the long-term average of 181mm and the area's lowest winter total since 2023.

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There are scattered coastal showers forecast for eastern districts until Tuesday.