Qld weather: Temperatures drop ahead of wet, windy weekend

The system, which stretches 3000km from north to south and encompasses 30 per cent of Australia, is forecast to pack a punch when it hits Queensland.

A powerful cold front that produced a tornadic thunderstorm in Perth on Wednesday night is now causing a massive rainband to build over Australia. Picture: Weatherzone

Temperatures have once again plunged across southern Queensland ahead of a wet weekend, while a severe weather alert warns of possible 90km/h wind gusts for other parts of the state.

A monster low pressure system that stretches 3000km from north to south and covers 30 per cent of Australia is expect to reach Queensland tonight.

The polar air mass could dump up to 50mm of rain and trigger wild storms, while temperatures are forecast to plunge.

The same system saw Western Australia shiver through its coldest weather in years with Perth only getting to 14C on Thursday, while a 0.3C minimum was the city’s coldest morning in 15 years.

Visible satellite images captured on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Picture: Weatherzone

Meteorologist Harry Clark said the damaging winds would largely be felt in south western Queensland.

“We have a cold front that’s entering the southwest of the state today and ahead of that very strong wind,” Mr Clark said.

“We have a severe weather warning out for the southwestern corner of the state for damaging winds, that’s wind gusts up to 90 km/h.

“As we go into tonight, we will see that cold front and rain band enter the southwest, so we will see showers and thunderstorms extending through the interior of the state overnight into tomorrow.

“During the course of tomorrow the rain bands will make their way across much of the state, so a fairly wet Saturday is on the cards for most of Queensland.

“We’ll be seeing that rain not all tomorrow bring 15 to 25 millimetres across a fair part of the state as a result of that system that’s coming through.

“For Brisbane itself and the south east. It’ll be arriving very late in the afternoon or early tomorrow evening.”

Forecast accumulated rain during the seven days ending at on Thursday next week. Picture: Weatherzone

Mr Clark described the current weather conditions across Queensland as dynamic and unseasonal.

“We will see quite a very dynamic few days of weather across Queensland,” he said.

“The cold front, the damaging wind risk and then the rain, the rain isn’t expected to be heavy or severe, but it’s fairly unseasonal, given it’s the peak of that dry season.”

Applethorpe on the Darling Downs was the coldest place in the state this morning, recording a temperature of -2.8C at 4.30, but with a feels-like temperature has been as low as -5.2C. In Dalby, the apparent temperature dropped to -6.1C about 6.30am.

The temperature was dead on 0C at Oakey just after 6am, but anyone stepping outside would have felt a frosty -4.9C.

Closer to Brisbane, it was 1.8C at Amberley, but felt like -1C.

Brisbane Airport was a chilly 6.3C, with a feels-like temperature of 1.9. In Brisbane city, the mercury plunged to 7.4C, with a feels like temperature of 4.9C.

In the city’s south, the mercury dropped to 4.8C at Archerfield, but with an apparent temperature of 1.7C.

It comes as the Bureau of Meteorology issues a severe weather warning for the state’s southwest, with possible wind gusts up to 90km/h.

Average speed of 55 to 65 km/h are expected over the Channel Country from late morning, with places like Bedourie and Birdsville in the firing line.

While those places will have maximums in the 30s and high 20s today, a cold front will push temperatures down by as much as 10C.

The cold front will then enter the southeast, bringing rainfall between 15-25mm across a broad part of the state.

Originally published as Qld weather: Temperatures drop ahead of wet, windy weekend