AS SOUTHEAST Queensland braces for a heatwave tomorrow, thunderstorms have brought relief from record temperatures in other parts of the state.

In Miles northwest of Brisbane, the temperature dropped from a maximum of 43.2C to 22.9C after a storm travelled through the area about 4.15pm.

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"It did come with a severe storm bringing 98km/h gusts," Bureau of Meterology spokeswoman Lauren Murphy said.

"Anything over 90km/h is considered damaging."

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The bureau issued a warning for severe storms with damaging winds expected to pass through Kilcoy, Kingaroy, Blackbutt, Yarraman and Nanango in the South Burnett by 7.15pm.

Forecaster Jonty Hall said the storms had been picking up dust and delivering little rain which could give appearance of a dust storm.

A general thunderstorm warning remains current for parts of the Peninsula, Gulf Country, Northern Tropical Coast and Tablelands, Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, Herbert and Lower Burdekin, Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett, Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast districts.

Brisbane tomorrow is expected to come close to smashing the record for its hottest day ever, which has stood since 1940.

The Bureau of Meteorology said if Brisbane reached or exceeded 41C it would be only the eighth time this has happened since records began in 1887.

"We have only seven instances when Brisbane has reached or exceeded 41C," duty forecaster Lauren Murphy said.

Weatherzone earlier reported the hottest day in Brisbane to have been February 22, 2004, when the mercury rose to 41.7C, however the bureau's data shows temperatures exceeded this in 1940.

On January 26, 1940, the mercury hit 43.2C, the bureau said.

The hottest December day on record was December 7, 1981, when it was 41.2C in Brisbane.

News_Module: WEATHER

Meanwhile, temperature records are being broken throughout regional Queensland. A new record high was set at St George near the NSW border in southern Queensland this afternoon.

The mercury hit 46.2C by 2pm and was expected to continue to rise. The previous record was 45C, set on January 4, 1973.

Record high minimum temperatures were broken this morning in Longreach, Mitchell, Surat and Roma.

Mitchell only dropped to 39.7C, Surat had 29.4C, Roma was 29.2C and Longreach only dropped to 30.7C.

"These are all new records for overnight minimum temperatures," weather bureau senior forecaster Pradeep Singh said.

The scorching weather yesterday broke several records across Outback Queensland, including at Bedourie which sweated through its hottest day ever.

Mr Singh said the mercury in Bedourie, about 180kms north of Birdsville in the southwest corner, hit 47.3C.

This is just .1Ch higher than the previous records set on January 13, 2013.

Maximum records for the month of January were broken in Century Mine, Camooweal and The Monument.

At Century Mine it hit 44.6C above the record 44.1C on January 27 in 2013.

Camooweal hit 45.5C just .1C higher than the record set on January 11 1971 while at The Monument the mercury hit 45.9C nearly 1C higher than the top of 45C set on January 14 2013.

In Brisbane tomorrow, a lack of sea breezes will help to keep humidity down and make it a dry heat.

"Once you pass 38C it's hard to distinguish, it's just hot," Weatherzone meteorologist Max Gonzalez said.

The trough that is moving across Australia will not hit southeast Queensland until tomorrow afternoon, which will bring down temperatures for Sunday.

"The change won't arrive until early afternoon or tonight tomorrow so that will keep it warm until then."

Looking back, the temperature reached 40C on January 20, 2000; 41.7C on February 22, 2004, and 40C on December 24, 2001.

Earlier, The Courier-Mail reported the weather system that delivered scorching temperatures and dry winds to outback towns is set to shift to the southeast corner.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the hot air over inland Queensland should move across in the coming days, dragged by northwest winds.

Forecaster Lauren Murphy said the maximum temperature in Birdsville was expected to drop to 40C today from 48C yesterday.

"The south-westerly change will be moderating back to January average, which is around 40C," she said.

Ms Murphy said the hot air mass ahead of the trough should slowly move to the southeast into the weekend, bringing hot temperatures.

Brisbane's predicted maximum is 37C today and 41C tomorrow.

But Ms Murphy said south-easterly winds should bring a cooler change into Sunday, with a maximum of 33C forecast for Brisbane.

Elsewhere, a top of 33C is forecast on the Gold Coast today, with the chance of a shower or thunderstorm tonight, before rising to a maximum of 35C tomorrow.

Hot and sunny conditions are predicted on the Sunshine Coast today with a maximum of 36C before 38C tomorrow.

News_Image_File: Residents of the southeast corner can expect hot temperatures over the weekend.

Ipswich should be even higher, with a top of 40C expected today and a sweltering 43C tomorrow.

Australia had its hottest year on record in 2013 but that seems set to be already under challenge from the heatwave sweeping across Queensland.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, temperatures were 1.2 degrees above the long term average in 2013, adding weight to the science community's claims of climate change.

All states recorded above average temperatures last year, but the hottest day, week and month on record was January last year.

News_Rich_Media: Marree Hotel publican Phil Turner cooking an egg on a shovel in 44C heat in Marree SA.

BOM also recorded the longest consecutive run of days above 39 degrees - seven days between January 2 and January 8. That was more than double the longest run recorded previously.

However, western Queensland towns are already smashing those records, with eight days of temperatures above 40 degrees recorded since Christmas.

BOM said Australian temperatures had warmed by 1 degree since 1950.

News_Image_File: Here comes the Big Heat