In Queensland and northern NSW today widespread showers caused maximum temperatures to stay well below average for the second day in a row.

Toowoomba only reached a high of 15.6 degrees today, nine degrees below average and the states coldest maximum temperature. Elsewhere in the state Kingaroy reached a top temperature of 17.7 degrees, 10.2 degrees below average, but still 1.3 degrees warmer than yesterday. Yesterday’s maximum of 16.4 was their coldest October day in four years.

Yesterday Brisbane only reached 19.3 degrees, their coldest day in two months and their coldest October day in at least eight years. The cold weather has been the result or cool onshore winds and an inland trough which has brought widespread showers and storms over the last few days. Brisbane received 23 millimetres yesterday to help with its coldest day in eight years.

In what has turned out to be a good few months for southeast QLD rainfall, 36 hour falls of 5 to 40mm stretching from Charleville, east to Brisbane and north to Marlborough, are still welcome.

Williamson and Samuel Hill topped the state with 39 and 38mm respectively, whilst the Gold Coast recorded 34mm.

Brisbane city recorded 23mm, its highest rain in over 1 month.

This is climatologically the time of year when we start seeing an increasing number of rainfall events over southeast QLD.

The widespread wet is being caused as very humid northeasterly winds feed moisture from the Tasman Sea into a trough over the Queensland inland that extends into the upper atmosphere.

Further totals of 10 to 20mm can be expected Friday night, mostly in the area demarcated by Rockhampton, Longreach, Charleville and Brisbane.

As widespread moisture brought rain to southeast QLD, further south the moisture intersected with a column of cold, unstable air to trigger storms over central northern NSW.

The storms started over Dubbo right on midday and have been cascading out in a circular 'rosette' from this point since.

The dry slot of cool air above the moist surface air means rainfall totals have not been high. Only 1mm has been recorded so far at Coonabarabran, Woolbrook and Narrabri.

The larger threat for heavy rain and also damaging wind gusts is further north, along the rim of the cold pool, where moisture extends through a good depth of atmosphere. Moree has received 10mm, 5mm of which fell in just 10 minutes.

As the cold pool moves east however, the ranges could add an extra trigger. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for the Hunter, Central Tablelands, Slopes and Plains.