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Mackay’s boat ramps and beaches were eerily quiet on what is typically one of the busiest days of the year.
Wet and windy weather on the Easter long weekend meant many opted for an indoor celebration, with Easter egg hunts and outdoor barbecues washed out by the rain.
Glimpses of the sun were few and far between as grey clouds covered much of the region.
But many didn’t let the gloomy weather dampen their spirits as families made the most of Easter Sunday by spending the afternoon at Mulherin Park. Only a few cars spotted at the River St boat ramp on Easter Sunday. Picture: Melanie Whiting
Mackay Rural Fire Service area director Andrew Houley said the rain was a welcome addition to take the edge off potential fire danger in the area.
Mr Houley said despite this month being particularly dry for March, he did not think residents should be alarmed.
“The monsoon trough is quite active, we won’t really need to be concerned til about April,” he said.
Mr Houley also warned of the unpredictability of these large systems.
“The systems are quite large, so they can be quite difficult for the bureau to predict,” he said.
“An isolated storm may be very heavy but won’t go for more than 10km”.
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The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting the most intense conditions to be between Mackay and Gympie, where severe heatwave conditions are forecast.
Being on the northern fringe will deliver a slight reprieve for Mackay with temperatures expected to reach about 34C on Monday, more than four degrees above the February average of 29.7C.
But the forecast high of 34C would still be below the hottest day of the month for 2021 which the bureau recorded on February 8.
Records showed that Monday had a sweltering 26.5C minimum, and 35.1C maximum.
The looming hot conditions will be noticeable after temperatures struggled to crack the 30C range since Tuesday, February 16.
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Subscriber only An afternoon at the beach or a dip in the pool will be the ideal way to cool off in Mackay and Whitsundays this Australia Day. Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Pieter Claassen said the region could look forward to quite nice weather during Tuesday s national holiday. BOM is forecasting the mercury to reach a comfortable top of 30C for Mackay, with a maximum temperature of 31C for Proserpine and 28C for Hamilton Island. Conditions will ease around the Central Coast compared to what we re seeing on Monday with some widespread showers and thunderstorms, Mr Claassen said.