Parts of SA to reach mid 40s in ‘unusually hot’ week, before cool change over long weekend
Parts of SA will swelter through “unusually” hot weather this week, with Adelaide tipped to hit the low 30s and some regional areas set to reach the 40s — but a cool change on Sunday will send temperatures plummeting by almost half.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
South Australia is set to experience an usually hot week, with temperatures soaring into the 40s for the western part of the state before a cool change arrives for the public holiday.
The weather bureau says this kind of warmth is uncharacteristic for early October.
A whopping 43C has been forecast on Thursday for Oak Valley, north of the Nullarbor Plain, and 44C on Friday.
Back in Adelaide, a top of 27C is expected on Tuesday and 29C on Wednesday.
Friday could reach 33C, but the bureau is considering reducing it slightly.
Senior forecaster Jon Fischer said we have rarely seen the mercury rise above 33C at the city’s official West Tce gauge in the first week of October.
“At the end of September, we did see a day that got up to around 35C back in 1961,” he said.
According to online figures, the Kent Town station recorded a top of 35.6C on October 5, 2015.
But the western parts of the state is where early-season records are likely to be broken.
“We’ve seen a fairly slow-moving pattern, which is unusual for spring and that’s allowed that heat to really build,” Mr Fischer said.
Northern parts of the state will also feel the heat, with 39C forecast for Renmark on Saturday.
“Those temperatures nudging 40C across the northern agricultural areas ... is pretty unusual for this early in October,” Mr Fischer said.
A top of 29C is forecast in Adelaide on Wednesday with the possibility of a morning thunderstorm.
A strong, cool change is expected to arrive on Saturday night, which should send the temperature plummeting back down to 19C in Adelaide on Sunday.
Early forecasts suggest next Monday’s public holiday will also be 19C.
Back in Oak Valley, the temperature is expected to drop to a milder 27C on Sunday but increase slightly to 31C on Monday.
Mr Fischer said the change will bring the possibility of a dust haze over the state’s west, but nothing too significant due to the soil having a shallow layer of moisture across the agricultural areas.
“The countryside, even though they haven’t had a lot of rain, there’s obviously been enough to green up that top, top layer,” he said.
