Rain may soon grace Queensland, Australia, as firefighters battle more than 100 bushfires

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

November 30, 2018, 11:20:21 AM EST

While firefighters will battle dangerous heat and gusty winds through Monday, there are signs of much-needed rain finally gracing Queensland, Australia, around the middle of next week.

A total of 114 bushfires continue to char land and threaten residents and property across eastern Queensland, as of Friday.

Thousands of people have been forced from their homes, including 8,000 residents from Gracemere, which is located near Rockhampton, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

On Friday evening, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advised residents of Deepwater, Rules Beach, Baffle Creek and Oyster Creek to leave due to a threatening fire. These areas are situated between the cities of Gladstone and Bundaberg.

In this undated photo released by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service fires burn north of Bundaberg, Australia. (QLD Fire and Emergency via AP)

Firefighters have been able to limit the destruction to two homes, two cabins and 15 sheds, ABC stated. Fourteen other homes have been damaged since the fire crisis started last Saturday.

More lives and property can be threatened through at least Monday as the weather will offer little assistance to firefighters.

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Bouts of gusty winds are expected daily and can further spread ongoing and any new fires that ignite. Aside from an isolated shower or thunderstorm, no rainfall is expected across the region.

Residents throughout Queensland should remain vigilant of the fire danger and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice if prompted by officials.

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The ongoing heatwave can further fuel the blazes and put more firefighters and residents at risk of heat-related illnesses.

Fifteen firefighters have suffered from heat stress, ABC stated.

Highs away from the coast across northern and central Queensland can soar between 38 and 42 C (100s F) on Saturday. The intense heat may expand to southern Queensland and neighboring New South Wales to end the weekend.

In this Nov. 2018, photo released on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service, a firefighter works on a fire ground at Deepwater, near Bundaberg, Australia. (QLD Fire and Emergency via AP)

Higher humidity can keep temperatures from reaching these extreme levels along the coast, and the added moisture in the air can help to slow the rate at which the fires burn.

The sweltering conditions, however, can still create dangerously higher AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in these communities.

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Looking beyond Monday, there are finally signs of much-needed rain returning to eastern Queensland, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.

"Confidence is growing for drenching showers and thunderstorms to spread across eastern Queensland around the middle of next week," Douty said. "While any prospect of rain to help douse the blazes is very good news, we are monitoring the threats for flash flooding and locally severe thunderstorms."

Where fires char land in the higher terrain, the heavy rain can trigger mudslides and debris flows.

Gusty winds can also get kicked up ahead of the rain, and thunderstorms can spark new blazes away from where it is raining.

AccuWeather meteorologists are also monitoring the potential for a tropical depression to develop over the Coral Sea this weekend.

"One scenario is that the budding depression strengthens into a minimal tropical cyclone and slowly pushes westward toward the Cape York Peninsula next week," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys. "Impacts would mainly be in the form of enhanced rainfall in these areas later next week."

The other scenario is that a stronger cyclone tracks toward New Caledonia instead of Australia.

"Even if the latter solution pans out, there can still be rough surf along the eastern coast of Queensland for a time next week," Roys stated.