A wave of warm weather is set to jolt Sunshine Coast residents and school holidaymakers out of their spring slumber.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted unusually hot conditions on Thursday, before winds of up to 40km/hr arrive with a cooldown on the weekend.
Morgan Pumpa, of the BOM, said a trough from the south-west was on its way.
“We’ll see an increase in temperatures, with higher maximums on Thursday and we should still have very warm minimums on Friday,” she said.
“It’s due to that approaching trough. Ahead of it, there are some north-westerly winds, which are hot and dry, which will bring the temperatures up.”
The blast of heat comes as the BOM formally declared an El Nino event, which is associated with hotter and drier conditions.
Maroochydore could reach 31º on Thursday, while Caloundra and Noosa could top 32ºC, while Nambour could reach a 34ºC. The minimums for those locations on Friday could reach 17ºC, 16º, 18º and 18ºC respectively.
Maroochydore’s mean maximum and minimum temperatures for September are 24.3ºC and 13ºC.
Historical September highs there, since 1994, are 35.7ºC and 16.4ºC, so a record highest minimum temperature is in line to be recorded on Friday.
A rush of wind should follow in the following days.
“Post that trough, we will have cooler south-easterly winds, up to 40km/hr on Friday and some fresh winds of up to 30km/hr during the weekend,” Ms Pumpa said.
She said the region should have a high fire danger rating on Thursday, before the temperatures cool “quite quickly”.
Multiple fires have been burning in the Beerwah area during the week, including one that threatened homes on Monday.
The BOM on Tuesday formally declared an El Nino event in the Pacific Ocean and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole.
Bureau manager of climate services Karl Braganza said: “When these two things occur together, that tends to increase the severity of rainfall deficiencies, in particular for the south east of the continent, over spring,”
He warned hot, dry conditions were expected to persist until the end of summer.
“In all likelihood, we can expect that this summer will be hotter than average and certainly hotter than the last three years.”
“Those conditions are accompanied by an increase in fire danger and extreme heat risk … It’s really up to individuals and communities now to prepare for a summer of heat and fire hazards.”
-Additional reporting by AAP.
