Hopes for a dry weekend in Brisbane for the NRL’s blockbuster Magic Round have been dashed, with showers expected to continue across south-east Queensland following a week of persistent rain.
Brisbane awoke to grey skies and cool temperatures on Friday, though there were bursts of sunshine throughout the inner-city as the morning progressed.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Christie Johnson said locals and visitors could expect similar conditions and showers over coming days thanks to a high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea directing south-easterly winds over SEQ.
“That will increase the risk of some showers over south-east Queensland,” Johnson said.
Bureau modelling showed light rainfall over Friday and Saturday, with Sunday expected to be the wettest of the weekend.
“We’ll most likely see single digit rainfalls today, [and] very similar conditions tomorrow,” she said.
“Potentially the wettest day could be Sunday where we have a bit of a trough in the area that might increase the shower activity.”
As for any assurances for the thousands of football fans descending on Suncorp Stadium over the four-day tournament, Johnson said the rain over Caxton Street would be “hit-and-miss”.
“Some places will get a shower, and some places won’t get much at all,” she said.
“There’ll probably be some sunny patches in between, so that might dry things out a little bit depending on the ratio of sun-to-cloud and showers.”
Temperatures in Brisbane will remain moderate over the weekend, around the 24–25 degree mark.
Showers were expected to continue into next week, the bureau said, with rainfall picking up on Monday and Tuesday.
Up to 50,000 people are expected to fill Suncorp Stadium each day over Magic Round, as all 16 NRL teams battle it out over eight matches at the venue.
Suncorp Stadium grounds manager Matthew Oliver said a wet weekend could “undo a lot of our hard work” and that the grounds team would be hoping for minimal rain during matches.
“We may never win a beauty contest, particularly when we’re really, really busy, but the players love playing here, they always know what to expect when they come here,” he told this masthead last week.
Queensland police said 70,000 people were expected in the city between Thursday and Sunday for the sporting event, and encouraged people to allow extra travel time and plan for road disruptions.
A major Caxton Street closure will be in place from 10am Thursday until 2am Monday. Temporary local road closures around Suncorp Stadium will also be in place at the start and end of each game.
“Public safety is our top priority, and I encourage all attendees to be patient, considerate and respectful towards others,” north Brisbane District Acting Chief Superintendent Simon Tayler said.
“We will have extra police officers on patrol across the inner city to ensure the night flows smoothly … [and] police will have a zero-tolerance for any public nuisance behaviour or driving under the influence offences.”
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli confirmed on Wednesday Magic Round would remain in Brisbane until at least 2032 after securing a deal with the NRL and staving off interest from interstate.
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