Bureau warns of high chance for thunderstorms on first day of Gabba Test match

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a high chance for thunderstorms to smash Brisbane on Saturday potentially throwing the Gabba Test into disarray.

Southeast Queenslanders could finally see a reprieve from rain and intense heat on Thursday, with sunny conditions expected until the weekend.

The moderate conditions come after a heatwave earlier in the week and heavy rainfall inundating the Brisbane, Ipswich and coastal regions on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Wide Bay-Burnett region was smashed by 200mm of rain on Tuesday, with two people rescued from flash flooding.

The weather bureau tipped Thursday to see moderate temperatures and just a 10 per cent chance of showers.

But looking ahead to Saturday - the first day of the third test between Australia and India at the Gabba - offers a different forecast.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Morgan Pumpa said thunderstorms were chance to return by Saturday for the southeast.

Staff work on the pitch at the Gabba ahead of the third test starting on Saturday. Picture: Adam Head

“We see that chance of thunderstorms return on about Saturday, we do have a 50 per cent chance of a thunderstorm in Brisbane then,” she said.

“But even after Saturday, we are back to just kind of partly cloudy conditions and slight to medium chance of showers.”

For today, Ms Pumpa said Toowoomba, the Darling Downs, and the Capricornia region were in the firing line for more wet weather.

”At the moment it seems like the chance of thunderstorms will be further inland. So we’re not going to see that chance of thunderstorms around Brisbane,” the meteorologist said.

“Toowoomba, Bundaberg and Kingaroy could see a chance of the thunderstorms today. But really for Gold Coast, Brisbane, and even around the Sunshine Coast, we are not expecting thunderstorms today, but there could be a touch of cloud overhead.

“The focus for the moment, in terms of rainfall, is more around our central and more northern parts – we have got a bit of a trough lingering over those areas. So the South East will be a nice spot to be today.”

While the conditions may be drier for the Brisbane and Ipswich regions, some Brisbane roads were still recovering from flash flooding earlier in the week.

Roads in Pullenvale, Brookfield, Rocklea and Durack were still closed off to traffic as of 7:30am on Thursday.