THE outback Queensland town of Longreach has set an unwelcome record, with the temperature topping 40 degrees on 11 consecutive November days for the first time in the region.
And the hot weather is set to continue throughout the state until at least Wednesday.
Longreach hit a top of 42.6 degrees on Saturday and 41 degrees yesterday, continuing a 40-plus trend that started on November 13.
With the mercury at Longreach sitting on 37 degrees at 2.00pm Queensland time today, all eyes are on a potential 12-day stint.
Historically Longreach has averaged just 3.8 days of 40-plus temperatures in the month of November, with only 22 days in the entire year forcing the mercury that high.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Vinord Arnand said the hot conditions would likely remain until at least Wednesday, when a cooling south-easterly was expected.
"It's essentially been warm and hot just about everywhere around the state," he said on Saturday afternoon.
"It does get fairly hot this time of year – you get longer days and we are tilted more towards the sun, so we've got more hours of heating and the weather pattern we have here, with a high in the Tasman Sea and a lack of any frontal system or south-east wind change pushing through central parts of Queensland."
Mr Arnand said warm dry air was being "going in circles around the continent without escaping anywhere" – a pattern that would not end until a wind surge came from southern waters on Wednesday.
"A high just west of Tasmania should send south-easterlies at least into the southern parts of Queensland," he said.
"The north, probably around Mount Isa and the Gulf country, will still be baking hot, but anywhere around Longreach and further south, Charleville, Quilpie, Windorah, Roma, they should get the south-easterlies and things should start cooling down there.
"Conditions should be generally fine and mostly sunny," he said.
"We do expect storm activity, but that's well inland, almost getting to the Darling Downs."
With FarmOnline.
