It's the last day of winter, but you wouldn't know it in Queensland.
Heat records are set to be broken in parts of the state today, with temperatures in the north-west expected to soar to almost 40C – more than 14 degrees above the maximum average for this time of year.
After an unseasonably hot final week of winter, the Bureau of Meteorology's Helen Reid said Brisbane was likely to sweat through its hottest August day in 15 years on Saturday.
The River City could reach up to 36C today – more than 10 degrees above the state average for August.
The mercury is expected to rise higher than the current record for an August day in Brisbane, which was 35.5C set in 2009.
Toowoomba is set to reach a top of 31C.
"We have seen some very warm temperatures and it is the hottest we've seen for many months," Ms Reid said.
Outback tourists flock to the sun
In the outback, the high temperatures of almost 40C that were felt in Birdsville on Friday afternoon will fall slightly, as the warmer weather tracks further inland.
"In south-western parts of Queensland, like the Channel Country, there will be a slight easing back of heat, there is a bit of a change moving through, allowing a little bit of a cooler southerly flow," Ms Reid said.
"But it isn't going to be taking it back down to anything that resembles being cool, just cooler than it has been."
Caravanner Paul Anderson is in outback Queensland for the warmer weather.
"It's freezing in the Snowy Mountains. I would have three jumpers on by now, two fires going and my long johns," he said.
But in Longreach, where the mercury is peaking at 38C today, there's no need for such attire.
"Just take your shirt off and have a beer," Mr Anderson advised.
"You'd think it was summer already."
Hottest day since 1985
Meanwhile, Roma and Charleville are headed for a top of 37C on Saturday.
The towns are up there with the Mt Isa region, which is expected to see the hottest day in Queensland on Saturday.
Weatherzone meteorologist Quincy Tut said the town of Camooweal on the Queensland-Northern Territory border was expected to have its hottest August day in almost 40 years, set to hit top temps of 38C.
The town's last heat record for winter was 37.3C.
"That's an interesting one because the last the highest August temperature was in 1985, so if that one's broken, which it looks like there's a good chance it will be, then that will be the highest August temperature in a very long time," Mr Tut said.
Mount Isa resident Grace Van Noord headed to her AFL game despite the record-breaking heat, but said temperatures rose early in the day.
"It just got really hot, really quickly," she said.
"Definitely a lot hotter this year. [It's been a] really quick transition, we've been having some colder nights still."
Sea breeze to cool down coasts
The Sunshine Coast will feel a top of 33C today and Gold Coast is headed for a top of 32C, with the sea breeze keeping the regions cooler than other parts of the state.
Mooloolaba was packed on Friday as beach-goers tried to beat the heat, with Sunshine Coast locals Lilou, 11, and Luca, 9, enjoying ice-creams to stay cool.
Business is also booming at one Gold Coast gelato store, where staff have been busy making extra stock to match customer numbers this weekend.
Winter is usually the quietest time of year for the store, but this week, customer numbers have been up there with summer trade.
Gold Coast Lifeguard Superintendent Joel Nantes said his team was bracing for a busy weekend.
Mr Nantes said while the temperatures are forecast to be slightly cooler on Sunday, he's still expecting a large crowd.
"It's going to be a pretty nice day and there might be a few Father's Day gifts being tested out in the ocean," he said.
While the sun was shining on the Gold Coast on Saturday, the north-westerly winds of up to 25km/h made it a less than perfect beach day.
Leonardo Leite and his nine-month-old son Adrian were thankful for the cool breeze as they cruised around Mermaid Beach this morning.
Cool change to come from Tuesday
The unseasonably hot weather is hitting Queensland due to a lack of colder air moving into the state and an increase in westerly winds, meteorologists said.
"We haven't had any cold changes moving through to flush out that heat, usually during the winter months and particularly through August, as well," Ms Reid said.
Things are expected to cool down from early next week, with southerly winds hitting the state on Tuesday.
Keep animals cool and out of the car
While things remain hot, RSPCA spokesperson Emma Lagoon said pet owners should make sure their furry friends have plenty of shade, water and are not left tied up in the backyard.
"Also, if you are travelling with your dogs, don't leave them unattended in a car because cars can turn into an oven really quick and it can take just six minutes for pets to perish from heat stroke," she said.
For those wanting to help native wildlife this weekend, Ms Lagoon suggested leaving out containers of water for them.
"Just make sure there's a rock or a stick so that if anything gets in there, they can still get back out," she said.
Snake season slips in early
The hot weather has kept south-east Queensland snake catcher Timothy Hudson busy, who said calls for help to relocate snakes had "exploded" in recent weeks.
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He said in the past week he'd relocated two venomous eastern brown snakes from properties on the Gold Coast.
"They're travelling quite large distances, quite quickly," Mr Hudson said.
"Unfortunately, a lot of them do get run over and hit by cars or cross through backyards and that can put them in dangerous proximity to family pets," Mr Hudson said.
He warned snakes would come inside looking for a place to cool down when temperatures reached above 30C.
"There are snakes in every single street, so for every snake that someone does see, there's probably another 10 that they're not seeing," he said.
