Mercury soars to blistering temperatures as hot air mass suffocates parts of Queensland

A suffocating hot mass is encompassing large parts of Queensland, sparking extreme heatwave and fire danger alerts.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the system is moving across much of the northern and central parts of the state today and will grow to cover more northern, central and south-east areas throughout the week, reaching Brisbane and the Gold Coast by Sunday.

Today, temperatures hace reached over 41 degrees in Julia Creek, 40 in Richmond, and 38 in Mount Isa.

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The mercury soared to a peak of 33 degrees about 12pm (AEST) in Brisbane, with the Gold Coast reaching 30 degrees at 11am before temperatures dropped to a steady 25 degrees early in the afternoon.

An extreme heatwave warning is currently in place for the Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders regions, as temperatures reach the mid-40s.

A severe warning is in place for the Gulf Country, Herbert and Lower Burdekin, Central Coast and Whitsundays, Capricornia, Central Highlands and Coalfields, Central West, North West and Wide Bay and Burnett regions.

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Bureau of Meteorology mapping forecasts that the hot conditions will last into next week, before receding on Wednesday.

The hot air mass has already broken records.

The outback town of Birdsville in south-west Queensland recorded its hottest October day on Tuesday when the mercury spiked at a blistering 46 degrees.

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The rising temperatures have triggered fire warnings across large parts of Queensland.

The eastern part of the state is under a moderate fire warning, with the remaining parts of the state under a high fire warning today.

Queensland Fire Department currently has five advice warnings for bushfires in the Tablelands, Mareeba and Walkamin, Tamborine, Nerang and Ormeau, Fordsdale and Moonie areas.

Residents in the affected areas are advised to avoid smoke by staying indoors and closing windows and doors.

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Rural Fire Service Queensland acting chief officer Tyrone McMahon told Today that fire bans are in place for large areas of the state's north and residents need to be prepared.

"We ask the community now to do their bit, be prepared, make sure their property is prepared, and make sure they've got a bushfire survival plan that they can enact at short notice should a fire start in their area," he said.

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