Brisbane's overnight temperatures are tipped to plunge into the single figures in something forecasters have admitted could almost be called winter.
On Monday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology warned of an impending cool change for much of Queensland, likely to bring frosts to a large chunk of the state's south.
But even the country's official weather authority would not quite stamp the winter label on the colder temperatures.
Brace yourselves #Qld, some semblance of #WinterIsComing. Cool, dry and gusty change due Wednesday. #Brrr #QldFrost https://t.co/8QnIc7aRJZ pic.twitter.com/OyajAOelhQ
— BOM Queensland (@BOM_Qld) July 16, 2017
Brisbane is tipped for 9 on Thursday and 8 on Friday, almost as cold as Sydney and a degree or two cooler than average, with Ipswich set to sink to 2 degrees and Stanthorpe dropping 3 below freezing on Friday.
BOM forecaster Harry Clark said the temperatures across the south-east would spike on Tuesday as a trough moved east, leaving blue skies, strong winds and chilly mornings in its wake.
Brisbane is tipped to hit 26 degrees with the Sunshine and Gold Coasts a degree cooler before the clouds begin to clear late Tuesday.
"This sort of drier, colder blast that we're looking to see is being caused by a low pressure system down near victoria," Mr Clark said.
"Basically that's combining with a high pressure system in the Tasman Sea and that's directing a cooler southwesterly airstream."
Mr Clark predicted frost for much of inland southern Queensland, starting south of Winton and spreading to the border.
"We haven't seen many quite extensive, dry, cool changes and that will probably make it feel a bit more significant because it's been above average for so long," he said.