Queensland weather: Most of state set for rain, storms over coming days

Two dynamic weather systems are set to combine into a 4000km rain system set to drench Queensland over coming days and bring possible thunderstorms.

Queensland is set to be soaked as two “dynamic” systems combine into a 4000km-long cloud band that will sweep Australia, generating widespread rain and possible thunderstorms.

Weatherzone forecasters say the breakdown of a high pressure pattern would from Wednesday triggering an upper-level low pressure system interacting with a feed of tropical moisture.

Up to 90 per cent of Australia could be hit with rain over coming days into the weekend.

Brisbane is set for 15mm on Saturday and a further 10mm on Sunday, while the Gold Coast could record 30mm across the two days.

Temperatures are expected to plummet, dropping to just 7C on the Granite Belt and parts of the Darling Downs.

Sky News meteorologist Alison Osborne said the system would start to form on Wednesday evening after a cold front from South Australia links up with tropical moisture from the Indian Ocean.

Fog hanging over Brisbane City- photo Steve Pohlner

“The result is a huge 4000km long band of clouds that stretches from the Kimberley to South Australia,” Ms Osborne said.

This dynamic system could also produce thunderstorms, hail and snow as it travels from west to east.

“From late Thursday night it should start to rain in western Queensland,” she said.

The two systems combined could soak about 90 per cent of Australia, and some parts of the country could see rain every day this week.

A map showing the seven-day precipitation model across the country. Picture: Supplied

Ms Osborne said the system was forecast to push towards the Granite Belt and Darling Downs by Friday night.

“During Friday and Saturday the system then sweeps out towards the coast and deepens into a low pressure system and that’s looking to maintain showers and storms into the weekend predominantly in southeast Queensland,” she said.

She said the system could “intensify rapidly” once it crosses the southeast coast over the weekend.

“There’s a high likelihood of intense showers throughout Saturday and Sunday for the Gold Coast and Brisbane. As the system pushes out to sea it could intensify quite rapidly and produce heavy rain along southeast Queensland but it could miss it entirely.”

While there is good agreement between forecast models that there will be widespread rain in Australia this week, there remains uncertainty over where and how much rain will fall towards the end of the week.