A dramatic cool change has arrived in Brisbane, bringing much-needed relief from Monday’s scorching temperatures.

The city has woken to rain and 20-degree temperatures after 48 hours of wild weather.

Brisbane has been a city of extremes since fierce storms rolled in on Sunday afternoon, delivering heavy rain, hail, lightning strikes and wild winds that brought down hundreds of power lines.

That was followed by Monday’s record-breaking heat, before bushfires west of Brisbane shrouded much of the city in smoke.

Monday was the hottest October day in 21 years, peaking at 38.7 degrees in the early afternoon.

By the evening more than 50 fires were burning around the state.

Smoke from blazes in the Lockyer Valley and areas around Ipswich were blowing towards the coast. There is also a fir

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