With Christmas decorations up and cricket commentary on the radio, it should feel like summer, but the thermometer tells a different story.
Parts of southern Queensland are shivering through the first day of summer with some towns' temperatures falling to 10 degrees below December averages.
A low-pressure system off the Queensland coast and a "giant evaporative air conditioner effect" has brought extensive cloud cover and cool southerly winds.
Applethorpe recorded the lowest temperature in Queensland, dropping to just 10.6 degrees on Thursday morning.
Toowoomba plummeted to a low of 11.4 and is expected to reach a maximum of 15 degrees.
Further east, all Brisbane suburbs dipped to 15 degrees, within two degrees of the December minimum record.
Patch Clapp from the Bureau of Meteorology said maximum temperature records could be broken.
"We are within one degree of some of these records," Mr Clapp said.
"As the rain falls, it's falling into a cool, drier layer and then we're seeing further evaporation and cooling.
"As the day plays out, we could well be under the forecast maximums today and then we'd be well within the possibility of breaking some of these records."
Taken by surprise
Kate McNamara and her daughter Milly were caught off guard when they headed out for their morning walk in Toowoomba.
"It's definitely not the way I expected to start summer," Ms McNamara said.
"We had to go through and get our winter clothes out again because I'd already packed all the winter clothes up.
"Us in Toowoomba, we've had enough of the cold this year… I'm ready for December to actually be warm."
Cold cotton
On Queensland's Western Downs, a steady drizzling rain has put a halt to cotton planting and the 14-degree morning has farmers such as Greg Newman donning jumpers.
"For the first of December, this is certainly unusual," Mr Newton said.
He had recently planted cotton and was concerned that the cool snap would make it more difficult for the seeds to germinate.
"We thought about planting in October, but then ultimately decided to wait until December when it would be warmer, when you'd expect soil conditions to be warmer," he said.
"That didn't really work out for us, though."
He hoped the usual December warmth would return next week.
"If we're only going to experience a couple of cool days and then we go back to average conditions, then I'm optimistic that things will be alright," he said.
Mr Clapp said forecast temperatures were also below average for the coming season.
"The general signals for our maximum temperatures are that it will be a cooler than average summer," Mr Clapp said.
"But for our minimum temperatures, those are actually going to sit a little warmer."
