Updated ,first published
Heavy rain and storms hit Brisbane on Thursday evening, bringing to an end the heat that has hung over the city for much of the week.
The temperature in Brisbane city hit 35 degrees on Thursday, while Ipswich residents sweltered through 37 degrees.
But senior meteorologist Angus Hines said big rains about 6pm would bring a cool change, with totals for the following 24 hours threatening to be as high 150 millimetres.
“That carries the risk of flooding – that could be flash flooding through parts of Brisbane – we could also see the rivers around the west of Brisbane start to climb given the heavy rainfall across the catchment,” he said.
A severe weather warning for heavy, locally intense rainfall was issued about 12.30pm, predicting a large section of the state’s south-east would be affected, with a risk of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued about 6pm, with further warnings of heavy rainfall.
A separate severe thunderstorm warning was issued at the same time, including a damaging wind warning. This trough was expected to miss Brisbane and instead hit areas including Toowoomba, Gatton, Dalby and Caboolture.
The change in temperature could be dramatic, Hines said, with Friday’s maximum in Brisbane potentially 10 degrees cooler than Thursday.
He said rain would probably continue to fall on Friday, with the possibility of heavy rainfall through to 6pm.
Rain could lessen over the weekend, but further storms and showers were not out of the question, Hines said.
“Storms during Saturday and Sunday could just be topping up the city with more rainfall after a pretty wet end of the working week,” he said.
“If you’re sick of the heat then, [there’s] certainly some milder temperatures coming in, but that’s going to be coming hand-in-hand with quite a lot of rainfall.”
The Seqwater flood operations centre was alert on Thursday afternoon, due to the forecast rain.
Controlled flood releases from Wivenhoe, Somerset or North Pine dams may occur in the next 48 hours.
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