Hot and bothered: Kids head to school in sizzling temps as cyclone brews up north
Parents are being warned to prepare their children for heatwave conditions as students in Queensland return to school
Scenes at sunrise at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Wednesday, August 24, 2022. (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien) NO ARCHIVING
Queensland’s energy minister has also issued assurances the state’s energy grid will withstand soaring temperatures.
Parts of the state are set to swelter with temperatures across inland areas tipped to reach the low 40s and rise to the mid to high 30s in the southeast.
Areas likely to be impacted include Bowen, Birdsville, Bundaberg, Brisbane, Gladstone, Ipswich and Longreach.
Birdsville had reached over 32C at 6am (AEST) on Monday with Brisbane expected to swelter through temperatures eight degrees above average.
The state capital is set to peak at 37 degrees.
Energy Minister Mick De Brenni has forecast enough electricity supply to keep Queensland power running amid Monday’s forecasted extreme heat.
“I am assured teams at Queensland owned energy corporations Powerlink and Energy Queensland are managing the situation carefully,” he said.
“The authorities will monitor the situation closely and if there is any change we will provide updates.”
For parents of returning school students, ensuring access to water and sun safety is paramount, the Queensland Ambulance Service said.
“Have a general chat with them, let them know to keep up their water … and if they do start feeling headaches or tummy upsets, just to let someone at school know,” senior operations supervisor Matthew Hannabery said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued an extreme heatwave warning for the northwestern pastoral district of South Australia, with temperatures expected in the low to mid-40s.
Severe to low-intensity heatwave conditions are expected across much of the rest of South Australia and into southern parts of the Northern Territory.
Parts of NSW are also expected to swelter in the coming days.
Areas in the north of the state, including Moree, could reach temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s.
WA has already been sizzling, with temperatures reaching almost 50C in some areas of the Pilbara at the weekend.
A few more days of high temperatures are forecast for the Piblara and northern Gascoyne regions, but the heatwave is expected to ease from Wednesday.
