Adelaide weather: SA sweats through one of the hottest February nights in memory

Was this our warmest February morning ever? Adelaide was hot and humid all night, with the temperature reaching a scorching 34.6C at one point. Hundreds of people are also without power.

If you woke up and jumped into a cold shower, you’re probably not alone as Adelaide has sweated through one of the hottest nights in memory.

The city reached a high of 37.1C at 5pm on Tuesday but the warm weather hung around well after the sun went down.

At midnight, it was 31.5C in the city and the temperature was only rising – and by 5.30am on Wednesday morning, the temperature hit 34.6C.

By 6.30am the mercury had dropped in Adelaide to the mid 20s but it’s predicted to be back up over 32C by midday, with a maxium of 33C forecast.

More than 700 people are also without power, with nine power outages across SA.

Renmark in the Riverland is set to hit 45C on Wednesday as most of the state’s major centres are forecast to reach the mid-to-high 30s.

South Aussies sizzled overnight.

It comes as South Australia’s emergency services are bracing for the impact of “some of the harshest weather” of the summer and increased fire danger to hit the state on Wednesday.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast extreme fire danger across central and eastern parts of the states.

The fire danger rating has been lifted to extreme for the Mount Lofty Ranges, Murraylands, Riverland, Mid North, Upper South East, Lower South East and Flinders regions.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Jonathan Fisher said “a gusty and dry change” moving across the west of the state on Tuesday afternoon would bring the severe weather.

The forecast for Renmark on Wednesday is 43C which is “the highest temperature those communities and the Riverland have faced” for three or four years, he said.

In the Hills, Wednesday is set to see winds north to north-easterly of 25 to 35 km in the morning then tending northwest to south-westerly 25 to 40 km/h.