Temperatures are set to soar eight degrees above average in southern Queensland, as the Bureau of Meteorology issues a severe heatwave warning.
Ipswich is set for 38 degrees Celsius today, with Brisbane forecast to hit 36 — but still shy of its 38.8 March record in 1965.
High humidity will push up temperatures along the coast, according to BOM.
It is the warmest mid-March since 2019.
"We've had as high as 38.8 in Brisbane City back in 1965 so we are a little way off that but temperatures are certainly pretty hot for this time of year," senior forecaster Rod Dickson said.
Temperatures will drop from Saturday along the coast as easterly winds pick up.
There's a cooler forecast for next week, with more autumnal temperatures.
"Temperatures will drop back a bit to more average conditions around the middle part of the next week as slowly winds become established across the south-east, so temperatures remaining around the high 20s to around 30-degree mark, which is much more what we'd expect at this time of year," Mr Dickson said.
The risk of dying is 5 per cent higher in Queensland in a heatwave, a new study has found, but chances increase if you live in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast.
The James Cook University study was released this week.
