Southern Queensland is shivering through its coldest morning of the year, and the freezing temperatures are forecast to continue for southern inland parts over the next few days as a southern cold snap takes hold.
Temperatures dropped below freezing on the Granite Belt, west of Toowoomba overnight, and are forecast to again dip into the negatives in the coming days.
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Angus Hines said daytime temperatures were expected to hover around 20 degrees Celsius west of the Great Dividing Range for the next few days, but it would be a few degrees warmer closer to the coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting frost on the Granite Belt. (Supplied: Aalletha Maatheson)
“It’s the overnight minimum temperatures where it’s going to feel quite a bit colder compared to recent weather,” Mr Hines said.
“We’ll be looking at low single digits for many inland areas, potentially even dipping into the negatives.”
Unfortunately, for the dry parts of southern Queensland, the BOM was not expecting any rain with the cold snap.
“Relatively dry conditions, just that slight chill in the air,” Mr Hines said.
Chilly southern air mass
Mr Hines said the cold snap was being driven by a cold air mass coming directly off the Southern Ocean between Australia and Antarctica.
“It’s a pretty cold place, with very cold sea surface temperatures, and that’s where this air has been sitting before arriving in Australia,” he said.
He said this type of weather pattern was unusual in autumn, and was typically seen during winter.
“It doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing any records set, but it could be the coldest weather in some time for many people.”
These beautiful cirrus clouds over Charlton on the Darling Downs didn’t dump any rain on the dry and cracking soil. (ABC Southern Queensland: Brandon Long)
Mr Hines said the cold conditions would extend as far north as the Maranoa, while northern Queensland could expect slightly below-average temperatures.
“We’re still looking at mid to upper 20s in the northern half of the state over the next few afternoons, possibly even pushing into the 30s across Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country,” he said.
“A couple of showers are likely to develop, particularly on Friday into the weekend, across the North Tropical Coast and Cape York Peninsula.”
Preparing to shiver
In the south, people have been preparing for the first burst of cold weather for the year.
Chrystal Roberts’ family run a small firewood business on the Darling Downs, where temperatures dropped below freezing overnight.
She said the past few weeks had been hectic.
“Last week was our biggest week. We were doing nearly eight deliveries a day,” she said.
Her children have been helping after school.
Chase Moy, 14, gets to work processing firewood for his family business after school. (Supplied)
“My son Chase splits the wood, and my daughter Jailei helps me load what we’ve already got on the stockpile,” she said.
“They’re doing it all after school, on Saturdays and Sundays, alongside playing football and everything else kids do.”
She said the cold snap was at the forefront of many people’s minds in the community.
“I put a post on the local community page for the older residents, just to let them know it’s meant to be getting cold,” she said.
“They’re bracing themselves for it. So, let’s see.”