Cooler weather and rain expected in Queensland, Australia, over the weekend
Australia's state of Queensland is expected to see lower temperatures and scattered rain over the weekend, primarily in eastern areas. After hot days, cloud cover is expected to keep temperatures somewhat below average, ABC News reports.
Rainfall on the east coast
Shane Kennedy, a senior meteorologist at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, said eastern regions of Queensland are forecast to receive between 2 and 10 millimetres of rainfall. In some places, rainfall may exceed 10 millimetres, most likely along the northern tropical or south-eastern coast.
Rain on the northern tropical coast is expected to be lighter than on Friday, as a wind surge has moved farther north and weakened. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are also possible inland, including in the Channel Country region, but the likelihood of rainfall will decrease by the end of the weekend.
Warmer in western areas
Despite cooler conditions in many parts of the state, inland areas will be significantly warmer. By the end of the weekend, temperatures in the south-west may rise to the mid-30s degrees Celsius, while other areas of western Queensland will see temperatures from the low to mid-30s.
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Temperatures in the south-east are forecast to range from the low to mid-20s, while central parts of the state and the Far North will see temperatures from the mid to high 20s. As early as Saturday afternoon, the far south-west will warm up due to a shift in winds to north-north-easterly ahead of a new trough expected early next week.
Coastal conditions and fire danger
Wind conditions near the coast are gradually improving. Warnings remain only for waters in far north-eastern Queensland and, according to meteorologists, may be cancelled on Sunday. Hazardous waves are forecast for northern neighbouring New South Wales, but they are not expected to affect beaches and surfing conditions north of the border.
At the same time, fire danger ratings are in place in parts of western and north-western Queensland due to a combination of wind, heat and dry weather. According to Kennedy, an extreme danger level or special fire weather warnings are not currently expected.
