Warnings issued as Brisbane temperatures set to soar close to record
Temperatures have been predicted to soar to within a degree of Brisbane’s record August maximum on Saturday.
The Queensland Ambulance Service has issued warnings for the state’s south-east, with clinical director Lachlan Parker saying people experiencing periods of confusion, chest pain or shortness of breath should immediately call triple-zero.
Brisbane is expected to farewell winter with near-record-breaking 35 degree highs this Saturday.Credit: FFX
“The next couple of days aren’t going to be those days [when] you want to be outside working in the garden or doing any excessive strenuous activity,” he said.
Parker said people who felt unsure about the severity of their symptoms could call the 13HEALTH line (13 43 25 84) for immediate access to professional advice.
“You need to look after yourself,” said Parker, adding that people should stay hydrated, and seek shade and air-conditioning if necessary.
“We also are very mindful of some of those people in our population who are at higher risk,” he said. “So the elderly, any young infants, also pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and anyone who has any significant medical history.”
The weather bureau expected temperatures to peak at up to 35 degrees in Brisbane on Saturday, “just shy” of the highest-recorded August temperatures in the city, 35.4 degrees in 2009.
Senior meteorologist Felim Hanniffy said the high temperatures were driven by gusty northwesterly winds.
While winter westerlies were a staple of late-winter weather in Brisbane and the south-east, weather systems in the south had drawn in and trapped heat over the country’s centre, resulting in much warmer winds.
However, hot northwesterly winds could be countered by cool sea breezes for regions near the coast.
“In Brisbane and closer to the coast, the higher temperature will depend on the sea breeze,” Hanniffy said.
“Saturday could be the hottest with highs of 35, but with a sea breeze [temperatures could be] in the low 30s, around 31 [or] 32.” he said.
“Even the airport might only get to 28 or 29.”
Another 40 kilometres west of Brisbane, Ipswich was expected to reach highs of 37 in the absence of countering eastern breezes.
Winds were also expected to change from Tuesday, easing temperatures throughout Brisbane to the mid-20s.
Queenslanders could also expect similar weather patterns producing “hot bursts” through spring and summer, although the temperatures launching the season were already “unusually warm conditions for spring.”