Tropical humidity is set to hit south-east Queensland this week, raising concerns of large-scale power outages as Queenslanders try to stay cool.
Temperatures are already high, with Brisbane expected to hit 34C on Tuesday followed by 36C on Wednesday.
The heatwave has stretched inland to the central highlands, with Lockington recording 41.7C at 11 am on Tuesday morning.
The tropical heatwave means the humidity in large parts of the state is sitting at 90%, making it feel much hotter than it is.
Meteorologist Brooke Pagel said the heatwave is pushing temperatures between 5-10C above average for this time of year and the uncommonly high dew points, which measure the moisture in the air, will make it feel hotter.
“When you have high dew points and high humidity – which is not actually common when you see humidity and high temperatures together – it will actually feel closer to 40C in south-east Queensland,” Pagel, who works for the Bureau of Meteorology, said.
“With that combination, the ‘feels like’ temperature is really going to increase even if the temperatures in some cities hover around 34-36C.”
The tropical temperatures are being caused by a trough that is heading towards the east coast and mixing with moisture from the north.
A reprieve is expected with a strong southerly change and a dramatic drop in temperatures on Thursday.
The dew points for south-east Queensland at this time of year normally sit between 19 and 21C but are currently in the mid-20s, creating levels of humidity more in line with temperatures in Darwin or Cairns.
Pagel said the Bureau of Meteorology considered anything above a dew point of 18C as “uncomfortable”.
“It is unusual to see this combination of humidity and high temperatures,” she said.
The heatwave is causing concerns there will be power outages, with Powerlink chief executive Paul Simshauser asking Queenslanders to reduce their electricity consumption over the next two days.
Queensland is forecast to reach record electricity demand of 10,032 MW – close to the 2019 record of 10,044MW –later today.
“We’re encouraging electricity customers to reduce their energy consumption where safe to do so over the next two days,” Simshauser said.
“Your safety and wellbeing is important so only reduce energy consumption if it is safe to do so. We appreciate your efforts in reducing power use.”
Queensland has several large generators undergoing emergency maintenance which is adding to the pressure on the grid, he said.
“In the event of supply outages, it is important to note emergency services and other priority groups such as hospitals and nursing homes will be given priority access to electricity supply to ensure that crucial services are available.”
