‘Burst of summer’: Millions to be smashed with sweltering 4000km heatwave
Following an unusual start to summer, a simmering and widespread heatwave is forecast to settle across the majority of the country.
Aussies are expected to be smashed by a 4000km heatwave this week, with temperatures to soar from parts of Western Australia across to South Australia and NSW.
Coming off the back of the hottest first day of summer for residents in Perth, a pool of hot air, which formed over Western Australia earlier this week, has started to spread further east and settled over the central and southern regions, bringing suffocating heat for millions.
“The heat building over WA ... has now moved into southern and central parts of the country today, and then we’re going to see it moving in further into south-east part of the country,” Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore told NewsWire.
“Today the focus of the heat is through WA and western South Australia.”
The mercury is forecast to tip to 37C in Port Hedland in the northern Western Australia and 38C in Kalgoorlie in the state’s Goldfields-Esperance region on Wednesday.
Meanwhile in South Australia, conditions will be dry and hot, with temperatures expected to reach 35C in Port Augusta and 34C in Renmark.
A fire weather warning is in place for the West Coast and Lower Eyre Peninsula as hot and dry conditions combine with fresh and gusty northwesterly winds.
“Afternoon coastal seabreezes then a fresh and gusty south to southeast change reaching the west late,” the bureau website rads.
Despite an icy start to the week for Melburnians, the heat finally arrived on Wednesday, with hot temperatures forceast to stick around until Friday when a cold trough moves over.
From Thursday, the hot air mass will shift further east before settling over New South Wales and Victoria.
A heatwave warning is in place the NSW south coast, with hot temperatures expected to develop over the coast this week, impacting Batemans Bay and Monolith Valley before shifting north.
“Tomorrow, the heat will be through South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, where temperatures will be around 4C to 8C above average, getting up to around 10C above average in South Australia,” Mr Narramore said.
“A burst of summer weather (is) on the way.”
However, the heat won’t stick around for too long in Victoria, as another cold front sweeps through later this week.
“The good news is this cold front ... has got a lot of cold air in it, so we’ll see our temperatures drop back down to the 20C mark on Saturday,” Mr Narramore said.
“Then early next week we’ll see those temperatures go back up into the mid-to-high twenties and low thirties inland.”
The ever-changing conditions are normal for this time of year, Mr Narramore explained.
“Even though temperatures are 8C to 10C above average - particularly tomorrow, Friday and Saturday through parts of eastern and southeastern Australia - we do see this burst of heat pretty common for this time of year ahead of any cold fronts, as our heat from inland Australia gets drawn down to south-eastern and eastern Australia,” he said.
Originally published as ‘Burst of summer’: Millions to be smashed with sweltering 4000km heatwave
