Overview

• A south-easterly change is bringing cooler temperatures to south-east Queensland, dropping highs by up to 7 degrees Celsius over the Australia Day long weekend.
• Severe storms swept through parts of the state, with wind gusts over 100 km/h recorded in Cloncurry and Emerald, and 80,000 lightning strikes reported in south-east Queensland.
• Power has been restored to 10,000 properties in south-east Queensland after storms caused outages and prompted calls for emergency assistance, mainly for fallen trees.
• Temperatures in western Queensland remain extreme, with highs in the mid-40s expected to persist into next week, while northern regions face increasing rainfall risks from Sunday onward.
• Meteorologists are monitoring a developing low-pressure system in the Coral Sea, which could potentially form into Queensland's first tropical cyclone of the year.