Wet conditions set to ease in parts of Queensland after spell of 'unseasonal' rain
Brighter weather is on the way for parts of south-east Queensland after a wet few weeks. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)
In short:
Much of Queensland is in for sunny skies this weekend after days of unseasonal June rain.
The BOM says coastal areas will see some scattered showers but conditions should be brighter relative to recent weeks.
What's next?
High tides combined with ocean swells from late Sunday are expected to lead to increased rips.
Most Queenslanders are in for warmer and brighter weather this weekend, but scattered showers are expected to continue along parts of the coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has forecast heavier rains in the tropical north and mostly dry conditions inland.
Senior forecaster Felim Hanniffy said areas around Innisfail and the Daintree in Far North Queensland could see localised falls of 20 to 30mm today and tomorrow.
Showers were likely to be most widespread on the Sunshine Coast with totals of 5 to 10mm expected.
Mr Hanniffy said Brisbane and the Gold Coast could also experience showers, but totals would likely be less than 5mm, reducing on Sunday.
"Overall, the conditions should be a lot brighter in comparison to what we experienced during the recent few days or earlier during the middle of this week where we had that extensive cloud cover," Mr Hanniffy said.
Warm temperatures, 'unseasonal' rain
The temperature forecast for much of the state this weekend is above average for June, with some parts of western Queensland expected to 4 to 8 degrees Celsius over early next week.
"Conditions really are very mild for the time of year … no sign of any cold snaps," Mr Hanniffy said.
"It very much looks like a winter holiday for Queensland as far as the temperatures are concerned."
High tide and increased swells on south-east Queensland beaches are expected to bring increased currents. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)
Recent weeks have seen spells of heavy rain in the south-east Queensland and in interior areas, which Mr Hanniffy described as unseasonal.
"We even saw falls of between 50 and 90mm about some of the areas on the southern Darling Downs and around the border ranges … where their monthly June averages are between 20 and 30mm," he said.
"Some areas have picked up over a month's worth of rain in just two days during the middle of this week.
"Even closer to the coast and south-east Queensland, the totals we saw during this week were also quite unseasonal."
Mr Hanniffy said there were early indications of more rainfall in western Queensland in coming weeks.
With a new moon on Monday bringing elevated tides, Mr Hanniffy said beachgoers and surfers in the south-east needed to be mindful of conditions on the water.
"The easterly swells do tick up a little around the south-east from Sunday and into the early days next week and, when you combine that with the high tides, that may just lead to some increased currents or rips," he said.