Queensland heatwave: State set to swelter through mid-40 temperatures
Heat records are set to be broken as Queensland and northern NSW continues to swelter through a severe heatwave this week.
Heat records are set to be broken in Queensland this week as a severe heatwave rocks southern parts of the state.
Temperatures are expected to hit the mid-40s across much of Queensland’s southern inland regions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with Birdsville expected to reach 47C and towns such as Goondiwindi and Cunnamulla heading for a top of 46C.
The border town of Goondiwindi is heading for maximum temperatures of 45C on Monday, 44C on Tuesday and 46C on Wednesday, and if it does it will break its record for the hottest three consecutive days.
Authorities are on high alert for bushfires with the fire danger rating peaking at severe in the Channel Country and Maranoa and Warrego regions on Tuesday.
On Fraser Island, where a bushfire has burnt through 40 per cent of the island in six weeks, resort operators have been forced to send visitors home.
On Monday morning the fire was just 2.3km north of Kingfisher Bay resort, with the blaze expected to push down to the east later in the day.
Greg Leach from QFES said with the sweltering conditions he was “worried about the whole state.”
“We have 40 fires across Queensland on Sunday. Most of those are contained but the main fire of interest (continues to be) Fraser Island,” he said.
“It’s fairly slow moving but it’s got a strong northerly wind behind it.
“Because it is slow moving, a lot of the wildlife will have the opportunity to move out of the way.”
Meanwhile in New South Wales, one home was lost to a bushfire at Northmead in Sydney amid the hottest November day on Sunday.
“Since Friday, 200 fires have occurred and we still have 54 fires,” Rob Rogers from RFS told Today on Monday morning.
“Three are not contained and fire crews are working hard to get them under control ahead of worsening conditions.
“Most of the risk will be rural and regional tomorrow btu as you mentioned it’s an ominous sign of what’s to come, particularly in the grasslands areas.”
Northern NSW is expected to be hot early in the week with Moree heading for three consecutive days of 44C and Bourke expecting a top of 48C on Tuesday.
The November heat record for Moree is 44.5C, which is a chance to be broken on Monday.
Sky News meteorologist Rob Sharpe said the heatwave would be broken by a cool change expected to hit the region on Thursday.
“The heat continues for southern Queensland, in fact it intensifies, with records a chance to break in the far southern inland around Roma, the southern ranges and also in northern NSW,” he said.
“For Queenslanders it's a bit of a long haul. That heat is lingering with a severe heatwave for far northern NSW and southern Queensland.”
Mr Sharpe said for the Darling Downs, Granite Belt and northwest slopes and plains it was an extreme heatwave that would continue into Wednesday.
He said a cool change would come through into Thursday morning for the east coast but the heat would not go far.
“That heat does not go far, it goes into the west, so by Sunday that heat returns again for southeastern Queensland,” Mr Sharpe said.
It comes after more than 20 heat records were broken across northern parts of South Australia and Victoria, and NSW, including the NSW state record.
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