Sarah Pletzer and Stacy Newcomb.

Brett Wortman/184607

GAMES on the beach were the order of the day in Mooloolaba yesterday as young and old came out in droves to enjoy the record-breaking weather.

Volleyball, soccer, tennis, football and even a game of cards were had by beachgoers as the sun beat down over sand and sea.

Senior lifeguard Peter Mitchell said the Monday crowd was bigger than usual, but the higher numbers were consistent with the warmer weather of the past weeks.

“We'll see numbers go up all the way til Christmas now,” Mr Mitchell said.

Making the most of the 34-degree sunshine was the Germanos family, who spend much of their days together at the beach.

“How can you not come to the beach on a day like today?” mum Linda said as three-year-old Isabella dug in the sand nearby.

“Isabella loves the beach, this is her backyard.”

A number of University of the Sunshine Coast University students did not miss a chance to get away from the books with a game of soccer in the shallows.

Business student Dave Pommeranz and his friends, French exchange students Aurelien Morel and Laurent Puech, figured a day in the sun was exactly what they needed.

“We're uni students, this is our life,” Dave said with a grin.

Not far away was fellow student Sarah Pletzer, pictured with Stacy Newcomb, enjoying the last week of her Australian exchange before heading home to Germany next week, and Stacy on extended holiday from Canada.

“It was too hot to stay in the house,” Stacy said.

She intends to make the most of the unseasonably warm weather, which is expected to continue for the next few weeks.

More to come

The Sunshine Coast broiled in unseasonable mercury-moving conditions yesterday with forecasters expecting more of the same today.

Beerburrum hit 35.9C at 2pm, Maroochydore 34.7C at 2.13pm, Nambour 34.1C at 2pm and Tewantin 33.1C at the same time as north-westerly winds from the Northern Territory swept Queensland.

The hottest place in south-east Queensland was Amberley, which melted, with a top temperature of 36.3C at 2.14pm.

Emergency services minister Neil Roberts urged residents not to under-estimate the risk of fire, even in urban areas.

The region is under a total fire ban until at least midnight tonight.

And weather watchers are forecasting more hot weather to come.

The weather is moving into El Nina drought conditions, the patterns which deliver rain in normal conditions moving east towards central America.

University of the Sunshine Coast scientist Neil Tindale said after a relatively wet year which had fuelled vegetation growth, the hot dry winds with relatively low humidity were making conditions ripe for bush fires.

Mr Tindale said despite a number of weak weather fronts pushing through the region, weather had remained unchanged.

At the same time, a massive low covering the bottom of the continent will dump good falls of snow on Victoria' ski fields, according to Mike Perry, the Daily's surf forecaster.

However, he said the system would veer off towards NSW before it could have any cooling effect here.

Mr Perry said 2009 could be described as an “odd year” for weather.

He predicted Brisbane may have its hottest August day since 1946.

“This may or may not be an early sign of the El Nina effect,” he said.

“It's not complicated, just different.”

Mr Perry has predicted three snow storms would sweep the bottom of the continent this week, bringing falls of up to 20cm, while Queensland and NSW swelter.

However, he was not prepared to declare winter finished just yet.

He said the mercury could easily plummet back into freezing.

The Coast rain outlook is bleak, with little forecast up to Christmas.

For information on how to prepare for the fire season, visit www.fire.qld.gov.au or phone 1300 369 003.