WARNING: Severe storms on the way for city

A WELCOME break in the Ipswich heat wave is likely to come on the back of storm activity across the south-east later this afternoon.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Vinord Anand says unstable atmospheric conditions west of Ipswich could produce gusty thunderstorms, with Gatton and Laidley more likely to be in the firing line.

"We do have a very unstable weather pattern over the south-east today, although it is slightly cooler near the coast due to a south-easterly breeze," Mr Anand said.

"Across Ipswich and the Darling Downs we expect to see storms this afternoon, although it is difficult to say how severe they might be.

"Storms are more likely to develop west of Ipswich and then travel towards the coast. With those storms there is a chance of damaging wind gusts."

The news follows a horrid night in Ipswich, where the mercury didn't dip below 26 degrees.

Those without air-conditioning should be in for a slightly less uncomfortable evening tonight, with a predicted minimum of 22 degrees.

Mr Anand said that was likely to drop further to about 19 degrees by Wednesday, with maximums around the February average of 30 during the day.