Qld weather: Properties blacked out amid record power surge

Workers in government-owned buildings have been urged to turn off computer screens, stop lifts and avoid high-energy tasks to reduce pressure on the energy grid amid Qld’s heatwave.

Temperatures have soared across Queensland, with Brisbane hitting its forecast maximum of 36C midafternoon.

Workers in government-owned buildings have been urged to turn off one computer screen, stop lifts and avoid high-energy tasks such as printing and laminating to reduce pressure on the energy grid as Queensland swelters through a heatwave.

As the mercury in some parts of the state spiked above 40 degrees, a missive was sent to tenants of Department of Housing and Public Works owned and leased office accommodation warning of an increased risk of power shortages on Thursday and Friday due to stifling heat.

They have been urged to implement voluntary measures between 6am and 6pm to help the Australian Energy Market Operator to avoid “forced blackouts in selected suburbs or regions”.

“All staff are requested to undertake some, or all, of the following occupant initiatives appropriate to your floor or workspace,” the memo read.

“Close all blinds or curtains … turn off second computer screens, run laptops and tablets on battery mode, turn off all but one printer.

“Defer or bring forward any activities that may use a high amount of electricity such as large printing jobs or laminating.”

The Bureau of Meteorology has tipped Brisbane’s temperature reach tops of 33C on Thursday before soaring to 37C on Friday.

Maximums of 35C have been forecast for Ipswich and Gatton today, 34C for Beaudesert, Oxley and Chermside, and 33C for Logan and Mount Gravatt.

The weather bureau’s Angus Hines said temperatures across the southeast could reach into the high 30Cs today.

Much of Queensland is in the grip of a severe heatwave. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

On Thursday morning 111 homes at Enoggera were suffering power outages, as well as 199 at Springfield, 130 at Hawthorne, 34 at Burpengary East 31 at Upper Caboolture and 39 at Greenbank.

It came as more than 14,000 South East Queensland properties lost power as demand for electricity pushed an all-time high after a scorching day in Brisbane yesterday that also prompted health warnings and disrupted rail services.

A total of 14,728 properties were without power at 8pm following severe heatwave conditions earlier in the day.

Earlier in the day, Energex said network demand was only moderate. But it surged close to an all-time high, with 5411 megawatts being used across the network at 5.30pm.

The electricity usage was 276 megawatts less than the all-time summer record of 5687, recorded 12 months ago on January 22, 2024.

By 7.30pm demand had dropped to 4984 megawatts, due to power outages.

Workers were warned their building managers could also be implemented in selected locations, including isolating one lift in multistorey buildings for the whole day and turning off airconditioning half-an-hour early at 5.30pm.

“While some inconvenience may be experienced, comfort, productivity and safety are intended to be maintained,” the note said.

Temperatures across the state soared on Wednesday, with Birsdville recording a maximum of 47C, Longreach 43C and Roma and Charleville 42C.

The mercury rose to 36.1C in Brisbane at 2.30pm, but it felt like 40.9C.

More than 5000 properties in South East Queensland lost power and extreme heat causing rail faults, delaying trains on the Caboolture, Redcliffe Peninsula and Sunshine Coast lines.

Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said the extreme heat was likely to continue in coming days, with heatwave warnings in place for much of Queensland.

She said conditions would be challenging for elderly people and those with medical conditions and that overnight temperatures are unlikely to provide much of a reprieve.

The Australian Energy Market Operator predicts Queensland’s energy generation will be enough to meet demand on Thursday and Friday.

Brisbane’s maximum temperature topped the 36C forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology.

But at times, it seemed much hotter, with an apparent temperature of 40.9C at 2.30pm.

It was 37C at Gatton, 36.6C at Amberley and 35.2C at Sunshine Coast Airport at the same time.

South Bank was a popular cooling off spot as Brisbane’s temperatures climbed beyond the mid-30s on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

In Brisbane City Council area, 8734 properties were without power while in Moreton Bay it was 1431 and 2320 in Logan.

On Wednesday afternoon, TransLink flagged 15-minute delays on the Caboolture, Redcliffe Peninsula and Sunshine Coast lines because of a track fault caused by extreme heat.

The Bureau’s Meteorologist Angus Hines said the highest recorded temperature on Wednesday was 46.3 degrees at Birdville.

“It was 36.4C in Brisbane, 36.7C at the Gold Coast and 35.9C on the Sunshine Coast and around the mid thirties for the coastal locations, it was very sticky and humid,” Mr Hines said.

Damaging wind gusts of 83 km per hour hit Emerald during storms into Wednesday evening.

Mr Hines said much of Queensland would experience similar temperatures on Thursday and Friday.

“Today we won’t see a big shift in conditions, in the central and north the temperatures will be low to mid 40s and from the mid to late 30s for the south east,” Mr Hines said.

“Conditions across the south east could differ as elevated risks of thunderstorms develop.

“The added cloud cover and rainfall that can come in with storms, we actually have some slightly milder temperatures forecast across southeast Queensland today.

“Brisbane will drop from 36C yesterday to about 33C on Thursday, severe weather with heavy rain, damaging wind and large hail are all possible if the storms ramp up today,” he said.

Mr Hines said the south east could expect milder temperatures into the weekend.

“Into Friday evening or early Saturday morning there will be a change in the wind across southern parts of the state, with the cooler southerly flow kick in across the southeastern and then pushing into parts of the central interior,” Mr Hines said.

“This will result in milder temperatures for the weekend, not a big cool change, but will absolutely shoot temperatures down those mid to upper 30s.

“We’ll return perhaps to what is average for this season,” he said.

Queensland Ambulance Service Senior Operations Supervisor Doug Buchanan warned residents not to be complacent about the heat.

Severe thunderstorms are possible through the Capricornia, Wide Bay, Burnett, and South East Queensland yesterday.

“Queensland Ambulance Service is urging all Queenslanders to prioritise keeping safe and cool during this period, we would really like to remind people in affected areas not to be complacent. Heatwaves … can pose a really serious health risk for affected communities and heat-related illnesses can affect anyone,” Mr Buchanan said.

“Most importantly they can affect the elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children and people with pre-existing medical conditions.”

Mr Buchanan said signs and symptoms of heat stress or heatstroke include dry mouth and eyes, headache, shortness of breath, vomiting, muscle cramps and can even lead to dizziness and nausea.

“And tragically into seizures and that’s a real medical emergency, we want people to take notice of those signs early and call triple 0 if they find themselves with those signs and symptoms developing.”