Above-average temperatures for parts of Qld as cold snap breaks

An extended cold snap is expected to break within days, with maximum temperatures climbing to as much as 10C above average. 

The Bureau of Meteorology says warmer than average Coral Sea temperatures will bring a warm change to parts of Queensland, after a week-long cold snap that saw below average temperatures

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Shane Kennedy Winter said the cold snap that plunged Queensland into sub zero temperatures doesn’t usually last as long as it had.

“Winter can often be this way, when you get trough systems move across the state, the long cold snap was more than usual, we don’t often see temperature changes lasting so long, usually will change every few days in winter,” Mr Kennedy said.

Mr Kennedy said a global trend in the past year has been consistent with general warming of the atmosphere and oceans so that is why we will be having a slight increase in the warmer temperatures from Thursday.

“The coral sea is warmer than normal, over the past several months a global trend in the past year and bit is consistent with the general warming of the atmosphere and oceans so that will be having a slight increase in the warmer temperatures,” he said.

From Thursday across southeast Queensland temperatures will be two to six degrees above average heading into the weekend.

“It should be like this until the weekend at this stage, and then we will have a trough system across southern and Central Queensland and that will change the wind direction back to the south and south west and bring in some of those cooler temperatures,” he said.

But Queenslanders will not see the temperature observed in last week’s polar blast.

“The average for July is mid to low 20c in Northern Queensland, temperatures pushing to 30c will be above average,” he said.

Mt Isa and Richmond and up into the Golf Country around Normanton will experience 30c days compared to the rest of the state.

“Western Queensland, Charleville and Longreach, they will be 6 to 7 degrees above average heading into the weekend.”

“No frost expected for the next few days but frost returning on Monday, but it won’t be as cold as the last cold snap.”

Isolated showers in eastern districts and the Torres Strait, tending scattered at times north of Townsville. Mostly sunny elsewhere, with possible morning smoke haze in the southeast.

“Mainly over the tropical coast and should expand over the majority of the east coast, pretty light and hit and miss for the next few days,” he said.