Qld swelters, but not the forecast stinker

Despite temperatures soaring above average across southeast Queensland, it wasn't the stinker the sunshine state had been bracing for.

Although temperatures fell below expectations, paramedics treated 26 people for heat stress on Tuesday.

It reached 36.3C in Brisbane by Tuesday afternoon - a few degrees below what was forecast but still 10C higher than normal for February.

On the Gold Coast the mercury peaked at 34.1C and on the Sunshine Coast it got to a sweltering 37C.

The hottest spot in the southeast was at Archerfield which recorded a high of 37.8C.

But the highest temperature recorded was at Birdsville, near the South Australian border, where it reached a scorching 41C.

Other areas on the Channel Country hit highs in the late 30s to early 40s.

Yeppoon, near Rockhampton, recorded its hottest February day on record with a high of 38.4C.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Sean Fitzpatrick said cloud cover kept the extreme temperatures at bay in the southeast.

"We started with some pretty hot temperatures around 30C about 8am or 9am," he told AAP.

"It was generally cloud cover that helped keep that down - it was a little thicker than expected - and that drove us just a few degrees below the forecast."

There's also some relief in sight for those in the southeast corner.

"Late tonight (Tuesday) we're going to see a cooler air mass move through which will cool things down a little bit," Mr Fitzpatrick said.

"Combine that with a cloudy day tomorrow (Wednesday) and over the next few days you'll see temperatures drop back to average, about 30C by Thursday."