Queenslanders warned to brace for more wild weather

Queenslanders recovering from the devastating Christmas storms are being warned to prepare for more wild weather as severe thunderstorms and hail are forecast to arrive later today. The Bureau of Meteorology says 800 kilometres stretching from northern New South Wales to Rockhampton and as far inland as Roma are within the danger area. It comes after large parts of Queensland sweltered through their hottest December day in four years yesterday. Temperatures in Brisbane reached 38 degrees – while Birdsville, near the border with South Australia, recorded the state's highest temperature of 46 degrees. The extreme heat helped form the severe storms, which are expected to bring winds over 90 kilometres an hour and hail over two centimetres to southeast Queensland.