Day of winter wonders
IF YOU were thinking of a quick daytrip to Stanthorpe today to catch some snow, you’d be better off staying home and saving the petrol.
Sadly, it will be a case of “You should have been here yesterday”, say forecasters, withh temperatures today ex- pected to reach 12C att Stanthorpe.
On Thursday nightt about 8cm of snow fell over the Granite Belt region, about a three-hour drive southwest of the Coast on the New En- gland Highway.
While the Gold Coastt has been cold, typical winter blue skies and sunny days are likely to o return early next week k with temperatures forecast to be 20C or above from Monday to Friday.
However, today and tomorrow will still be cold by Coast standards, although the minimum temperatures are not expected to be as low as earlier this week.
“The cold weather will be sticking around for the weekend but it will also mark the start for some warmer weather,” said Weatherzone forecaster, Anthony Duke. “Sunday afternoon temperatures are expected to reach 20C.”
An area of southern Queensland from Braeside to Wallangarra has been inundated with snow for the past two days, with locals saying it was the best since 1984.
A heavy blanket of snow surrounding the “Welcome to Queensland” sign at the NSW border on the New England Highway was an unusual sight for people travelling to the Sunshine State.
No temperature records were broken in Queensland but it was the largest dumping of snow the state has seen in a generation.
While the Coast is not in a snow zone, the unusual nusual cold sparked ed a huge demand for heaters and electric c blankets.
Gold Coast oast Fire Service Acting Superintendent perintendent Scott Beasley said id there had been a few electrical cal appliance fire incidents this winter but overall people had beeneen reasonably good with keeping ng an eye on heaters and fireplaces.ces.
Supt Beasley easley said fires were often caused ed when people tried to warm or dry clothes on heaters.