Southeast Queensland heatwave: temperature records smashed across region

INLAND from the Gold Coast was the hottest place in southeast Queensland yesterday as the region sweltered through its hottest ever day.

SOUTHEAST Queenslanders sweltered, swam and swore their way through the hottest ever day as temperature records were smashed right across the region yesterday.

Nine locations from Toowoomba to the Sunshine Coast notched up new highs as the urban region got its turn being hammered by the heatwave which had seared its way across the state in previous days.

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How yesterday's heatwave played out

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At Beaudesert, inland from the Gold Coast, the mercury climbed to 44.6C - challenging outback Winton, on 44.7C, as the hottest spot in the whole of Queensland.

People packed swimming pools or crowded into air-conditioned shopping centres desperately seeking relief from the extreme conditions and dozens required treatment for heat stress.

But their attempts were often futile. Winds from the northwest created a pool of thick hot air which sat over the Sunshine Coast for much of the day.

That meant sea breezes were in short supply on many beaches north of Brisbane, with Maroochydore reaching 41.3C - eclipsing the previous 38.7C record.

At bayside Redcliffe, residents abandoned the sand for the cinema as the temperature peaked at 40.3C before midday. A Hoyts spokesman at the local Peninsula Shopping Centre said: "We are two to three times busier than a normal Saturday.''

At the Gold Coast seaway, it was 31.5C by 10am, it also hit 31.5C at Coolangatta at 3.27pm while Beaudesert sweltered through a scorching 40-plus degrees all afternoon. At 6.30pm, it was still 31.9C.

Gold Coast Bulletin Facebook followers gave live updates of the heat at their place.

Shane Piercy said the ground temperature on his front lawn at Helensvale was 49.3C, Tracey Power said it was 46.8C in the sun at Upper Coomera, Wendy Morris said it was 44.3C under her porch in Merrimac while Heather Ashton said it was 45C out at Gilston.

It is expected to be a much cooler 27C with cloud on the Gold Coast today before hotting up to 32C tomorrow followed by afternoon storms.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Brian James said: "There are a number of places with all-time record temperatures. That tells its own story.''

Brisbane city did not reach its predicted high of 41C, peaking at 38.7C early in the afternoon as a southerly change began to made its way up from the Gold Coast.

But the heavily moisture-laden conditions meant it was cold comfort. "Brisbane is still pretty nasty,'' Mr James said. "Even though it is cooler than thought, it is yucky and sticky.''

Residents in the western suburbs and Ipswich sweated as the BOM gauge at Archerfield soared to a record 43.5C and Amberley was 43.9C.

At Mimsy's Trailer Trash Tattoo in Archerfield, artist Tilly Dee said the air conditioners were pushed to the limit, making the usually cool retro parlour feel more like a sauna. "It is ridiculous," she said.

The day started badly, with the Brisbane heat already 27C at 6am, and just got worse.

As the mercury rose, so did power consumption. Energex recorded electricity demand peaking at 4236 megawatts just before 5pm - the highest this summer and one of the highest ever for a weekend.

Calls to the RACQ for roadside assistance were up about 10 per cent as hundreds of car engines overheated.

At Emerald, RACQ staff helped police to rescue a baby who had been accidentally locked inside a vehicle. The tot was unharmed.

Others were not so lucky. Paramedics were kept busy treating patients with heat-related illnesses across the Gold Coast and southeast. They included a 90-year-old woman who was rushed to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with a temperature of 42C after falling down steps at her home on Brisbane's southside.

"They are coming in thick and fast,'' an ambulance spokesperson said.

But if you thought you were hot under the collar yesterday, spare a thought for Brisbane City Council workers on the sizzling Story Bridge.

About 100 staff were on deck to finish resurfacing works in time for back-to-work commuters tomorrow with all six lanes of the iconic structure closed to traffic for the first time in 20 years.

Farmers are already starting to count the cost of the heatwave. At Warwick, where it was 40.9C, Southern Downs deputy mayor Ross Bartley said up to 50 per cent of the local sorghum and corn crops would be destroyed. "The breeze coming through here is like a blast furnace,'' he said.

Back in the suburbs, locals who flocked to the popular Youngs Crossing water hole at Lawnton for a cool dip said even the water was hot.

Temperatures will drop to the low to mid-30s in the southeast today and tomorrow but relief is coming. From Tuesday, the forecast is for highs in the 20s.

Additional reporting Naomi Lim, Kathleen Donaghey, Jessica Elder and Tanya Westthorp