Feels like 42.5C: Qld heatwave goes from extreme to officially bonkers

Queensland has scorched on Friday amid a tropical heatwave with the apparent temperature hitting 42.5C, thousands of homes losing power at the worst possible time and a night of 30C temperatures on the cards.

Andreas Nicole, Nicola McNamara, Taylah Fellows and Greg Stolz

4 min read

February 3, 2023 - 5:18PM

QLD weather news

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Queensland is in the grip of a brutal tropical heatwave with the apparent temperature climbing to a sweltering 42.5C on Friday afternoon amid predictions of an uncomfortably hot night ahead.

Temperatures had started to stabilise throughout the early afternoon, with Brisbane’s apparent temperatures lowering slightly from 37C to 35.2C after a peak of 37.4C about 1pm.

Gladstone was still sweltering under a ‘feels like’ temperature of 42.5C, Beaudesert hit 38.1C by 3pm, Gympie was feeling the heat at 37.6C, Bundaberg had an apparent temperature of 36.2C, in the central highlands at Clermont it was roasting at 34C, Rockhampton was a sticky 36.5C and Mackay felt like 35.2C.

In terms of actual temperatures reached, Roma was the hottest place in Queensland with the mercury hitting 38.5C followed by Miles at 38.2C and Dalby with 38.1C.

Despite the minor drop in temperature in the afternoon, Brisbanites could expect it to remain 30C until midnight, before dwindling down to a nicer 26C by 6am Saturday.

Overnight temperatures in the Gold Coast would be slightly cooler at 27C, while Sunshine Coast residents could expect to sleep through an even lesser 25C with light showers possible from 4am onwards.

At 4.30pm there were nearly 3000 South East Queensland households battling the heat without power.

More than 1000 Energex customers were experiencing power outages in Clayfield and another 1600 in South Ripley.

Some residents in Jamboree Heights had by now spent half the day without power, with at least 60 households waiting for the outage to be fixed.

Similar outage numbers were felt in Warren Park, with about another 30 affected households in both Middle Park and Beaudesert.

Energex spokesman Justin Coombes said the outages were “run of the mill” and not connected to the crippling heatwave.

By 5.15pm, the total had plummeted to 346, most of which were in Clayfield.

A number of Queensland summer sporting clubs have cancelled training and fixtures as a safety precaution.

Brisbane Softball Association announced it was cancelling its Saturday fixtures by midday Friday, while the Deception Bay Buchanan Martial Arts Academy called off its scheduled Karate and Hapkido classes.

Meanwhile, Friday junior netball games were cancelled at Bracken Ridge Indoor Sports and Gymnasts heading to the Jimboomba Gymnastics Club over the weekend were advised classes would be cancelled if inside temperatures reached an unsafe 38C.

Large parts of the state are also gripped by extreme humidity with the dew point, which measures the level of moisture in the air, to climb 24C in Brisbane on Friday, the highest level possible.

Residents in Gatton were sweating through an apparent temperature of 37.7C at lunchtime, while those in the Whitsundays, Noosa, Gladstone and Mackay felt hotter than the actual maximum forecast temperature for the day.

Meanwhile, as Roma reached a balmy 35.3C, temperatures only felt like 30.7C.

A state government MP invited heat-stressed constituents to cool off in her airconditioned office.

Gold Coast-based Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon put out the invitation on social media.

“If anyone is struggling with the heat today you’re more than welcome to come to my office in Nerang,” she posted on Facebook on Friday.

“We have airconditioning, cool water and a friendly team.”

Many praised the “nice gesture”, with one person commenting: “I wish you were my local member. I suspect mine has locked the doors to keep the peasants out.”

Another person cheekily asked if Ms Scanlon had the video game Mario Kart in her office.

“No I’m sorry,” she replied with a laughing emoji.

Severe heatwave conditions are expected to last through the weekend, however a trough is expected to reach the southeast coastline on Saturday, bringing possible storms to places north of Caboolture and scattered showers to the remainder of the South East.

Queenslanders have been assured the state’s electricity grid will withstand the pressure created by the heatwave conditions.

While the Sunshine State swelters, in Victoria, by contrast, snow was reported at Hotham Alpine Resort.

Weather bureau senior meteorologist Harry Clark said the severe heatwave gripping the southeast would persist, with little relief in sight.

“Certainly Friday and Saturday, both daytimes and night-time will remain very warm, and as we go into Sunday we’ll see temperatures, not cool, but certainly return close to the average,” he said.

Mr Clark said there would be a slight decrease in humidity for the first part of next week.

“It won’t be a complete relief, but returning to more typical levels,” he said.

“So it’s not going to be a classic cool change unfortunately, but a more gradual return to normal.”

He said while high maximum and minimum temperatures had not broken any records, the humidity driving the heatwave warning.

“Overnight those minimums did not drop much below 25C, and combined with that humidity felt much more like 29C or 30C for much of the night,” he said.

“So we don’t really get that chance for the human body to expel heat and cool down overnight either.”

Maximum temperatures are not expected to dip below 30C across South East Queensland, as large parts of the state grapple with a heatwave caused by high humidity.

Isolated thunderstorms are also possible on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said he was confident the state’s energy system could meet the challenge.

He said Queenslanders should prepare for an “absolute scorcher”, with temperatures in Brisbane and Ipswich expected to reach as high at 37C on Friday.

“That of course puts great demands on our energy system,” Mr de Brenni said.

“People using air conditioners throughout the course of the day is going to see increased levels of demand and pressure on that system.”

Mr de Brenni said the Australian Energy Market Operator was forecasting a new record peak for demand Friday of about 10,400MW.

The Sunshine state’s previous maximum demand was 10,085MW.

But he assured Queenslanders the state was ready to meet that demand.

“It will be tight, but the system will be manageable,” he said.