A low has formed in the Coral Sea and is slowly deepening and moving towards the coast. This, combined with the strong high in the southern Tasman Sea, is resulting in gale force southeasterly winds along the coast and associated showers. As the low moves closer to the coast on Thursday, the pressure gradient will tighten further and winds will also strengthen. A gale warning is current for the entire QLD coast, with winds of up to 30 to 40 knots likely along much of the coast. The low is likely to be on or near the coast by Friday, and could possibly have even attained tropical cyclone strength, meaning that heavy rain is likely along the southern half of the coast, with very strong winds. The exact track of the low beyond Friday is, at this stage, uncertain.