Qld weather: Coldest in 15 years, wettest in six, as storms roll in after winter of extremes

Severe thunderstorms could bring a month’s worth of rainfall to parts of the state this week, after a winter of extremes that was the wettest in six years and the coldest in 15 years.

After a record-breaking winter of lows, highs and rain, it looks to be a wet welcome to spring with a month’s worth of rainfall forecast this week as severe thunderstorms move across the state.

A low pressure system is travelling east across the country, bringing with it storms that are expected to hit southern parts of Queensland today, reaching Brisbane and the South East by the weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Helen Kirkup says the storms will begin in the Channel Country and possibly Warrego on Wednesday, before moving toward the coast.

“Tomorrow the system will move through Maranoa to the Central West area, and those are the most likely candidates for anything severe,” Dr Kirkup says.

“There’ll be one or two storms that might have severe rainfall, with the possibility of damaging wind and large hail.

“Some of these places have pretty low-average September rainfall, so we could easily see a month’s worth of rainfall in one go as the storms pass through,” Dr Kirkup says.

With waterlogged ground and some rivers already near capacity Dr Kirkup warned “any rainfall could cause problems”.

Showers are likely to hit the Brisbane region on Thursday, developing into thunderstorms on Friday.

“At the moment it doesn’t indicate anything will be severe, but daytime heating can add power to the storms, so it will depend a bit on timing,” Dr Kirkup said.

Queensland’s winter was the wettest since 2016. Picture David Clark

The storms come after a winter that toppled dozens of records, delivering the coolest days in 15 years and the highest rainfall since 2016.

The season was 55.4 per cent wetter than average, though the tropical north bore the brunt of the downpours with several towns seeing records smashed.

Walkamin Research Station, Maitland Downs Station, Alva Beach, Mareeba Airport, Southwick West Station, Kingaroy Airport, Century Mine, and Gayndah Airport all recorded all-time high rainfall over winter.

Babinda Post Office was the wettest overall, catching 693.9mm over the three months, while Fort Lytton saw the wettest day, copping 216mm on July 5.

The South East of the state shivered through the season, with Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Miles, Beerburrum and Trepell Airport, west of Winton, all hitting new lows for average winter temperature.

Storm clouds hover over Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Gladstone broke a 65-year standing record with one day reaching only 11.9C, despite its usual winter average sitting above 23C.

The coldest Queensland night was recorded in Stanthorpe when the mercury dropped to -4.2C, while Toowoomba had the chilliest day, never getting above 7.6C.

At the other extreme, Coconut Island in the Torres Strait saw record high temperatures, with average daily temperatures sitting at 32.8C.

In the Brisbane region, Amberley enjoyed the warmest days with an average of 21.6C, getting as high as 28.9C on August 19.

The strongest wind gust hit Cape Moreton Lighthouse at a furious 106km/h on July 22.

The La Nina event likely contributed to the above average rainfall this year, but experts warn weather extremes will become more frequent and more severe due to climate change.