Sunny reprieve for Queensland's east coast before potentially windy Ekka week

Residents of Queensland's east coast can anticipate a short respite from showers later this week, offering sunny conditions before the Ekka event brings potentially windy weather. Much of the state's eastern seaboard experienced rainfall over the weekend, with the north tropical coast, particularly the Cassowary Coast, recording over 70 millimeters in a 24-hour period. The southeast also saw showers, with the Sunshine Coast receiving between 10 to 20 millimeters. In contrast, inland regions remained largely settled, experiencing dry conditions and cool mornings, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 1.5 degrees Celsius in the Granite Belt on Saturday. Senior forecaster Felim Hanniffy noted that showers are expected to ease along central and southern coasts due to a south-westerly airflow. Sunny conditions are forecast for these areas by midweek, though this reprieve will be short-lived, with coastal showers potentially returning by Friday and into the weekend. Showers are also expected to become more isolated along the north tropical coast later in the week. Overnight minimum temperatures are predicted to remain cool across the state's interior, with patchy frost possible in the southern interior, potentially becoming more widespread by mid-week. The east coast is currently experiencing fresh south-easterly winds, with a strong wind warning issued for the Torres Strait, Peninsula Coast, and Cooktown Coast. These winds are expected to ease by Tuesday and Wednesday, but forecasters warn that significant weather systems could move across southern parts of the state next week, potentially bringing windy conditions.

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Later in the week, we'll see some of those coastal showers return to part of the east coast again for Friday and into the weekend.