It’ll make for a punishing Boxing Day test.
The sweltering conditions are stoking bushfire fears.
“There are two major concerns on Thursday – the fires already burning in the landscape, and any new fires that start as a result of the extreme fire risk,” Country Fire Association chief officer Jason Heffernan said.
“We want people to continue to enjoy the holiday period but fire safety is a joint responsibility and the community needs to remain alert and in tune with current fire danger ratings and warnings”.
Yet across much of the nation, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are looking dry, sunny and warm – and far more manageable weather wise.
A high pressure system across much of the east is keeping things pleasantly summery for the next few days.
But a low pressure system is pushing eastwards across the Great Australian Bight.
That’s leading to a big spike in temperatures for South Australia and Victoria ahead of its arrival and that heat spike will then spread into New South Wales.
Christmas Day in Perth will be very agreeable with a high of 24C and mostly sunny. But it could get windy in the early afternoon with gusts of up to 45 km/h.
Boxing Day will see blue skies and highs of 25C but the lows will be a cooler 12C. Temperatures will then creep up to 33C by Saturday.
Ahead of the
cold front, Adelaide will tap out at 37C on Christmas Day with heaps of sun.
The Country Fire Service has warned of an extreme risk of bushfires along the state’s west coast and Mt Lofty Ranges close to Adelaide.
Total fire bans are in place on Wednesday for these areas.
Boxing Day will dip to 31C, with a 23C minimum, and the possibility of light showers.
By Friday, there will be a marked change with the maximum down to just 24C.
Parts of western Victoria will begin to feel that heat on Wednesday with Stawell hitting 35C. Already a bushfire remains out of control in the Grampians, close to Halls Gap.
Melbourne should reach 31C on a partly cloudy Christmas Day.
But it’s Boxing Day when the sweltering conditions sweep across the state. The city can expect 39C on Thursday with a possible late shower and windy conditions as the front charges through.
On Boxing Day, Bendigo, Yarrawonga and Echuca could all peak at 41C with Mildura on 42C.
The CFA has total fire bans in place for all of Victoria with the exception of East Gippsland for Boxing Day.
The minimum temperatures in Melbourne early on Boxing Day will be toasty 23C but that low should go down to 16C early on Friday once the cold front passes with maximums also far more reasonable to end the week at 23C.
Hobart is expected to reach 23C on Christmas Day and then 30C for Boxing Day before dropping to just 19C on Friday.
Parts of southern NSW will share in that southern heat.
Wagga Wagga will see 25C on Wednesday and 39C on Thursday before dropping back into the high twenties.
Sydney’s sunny Christmas Day should reach 27C with a 17C low and then just slightly warmer at 29C on Boxing Day.
But Friday could be a challenge with a forecast maximum of 37C alongside a possible shower.
Sydney’s western suburbs will notch up even higher temperatures with Thursday peaking at 41C in Penrith.
Canberra is set to see lots of sun with 31C on Christmas Day and 35C on Boxing Day with temperatures back into the high twenties for the remainder of the week.
A solid week of the thirties for Brisbane. Wednesday will see 30C as will Thursday, then 33C for Friday and a hot 37C on Saturday. It should be sunny all around.
Townsville can expect 32C on Christmas with similar temperatures for the rest of the week and into the weekend.
It’s 34C highs and 26C lows all Christmas week in Darwin with possible storms and between 5 and 10mm of rain.
Several notches hotter in Alice Springs with 42C for Santa’s big day and 43C for Thursday before a more than 10 degree drop for Friday.
Originally published as ‘Extreme’: Brutal weather for Christmas, Boxing days
