Australia weather: Mainland braces for sweltering heatwave
The Bureau of Meteorology has urged Aussies to brace for a heatwave that will hit every mainland state and send temperatures into the 40s.
The Bureau of Meteorology has urged Aussies to brace for a heatwave that is set to impact every mainland state and send temperatures soaring into the 40s for several days.
Maps from the BOM show heatwave warnings that extend across much of New South Wales, parts of Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory and a small sliver of northern Victoria through to next week.
The heatwave previously consumed a full third of the country before it concentrated around NSW, southeast Queensland and Australia’s far north.
Sky News Weather meteorologist Alison Osborne said the heat was “oppressive” this week in outback SA and western NSW, with many towns seeing their hottest days in years.
The mercury climbed to 46.4C in Marree, SA on Wednesday, while temperatures in Dubbo topped 40C for the first time in three years.
Ms Osborne explained the heat was due to a “near stationary weather pattern, under a ‘heat dome’ or an upper-level high”.
“These systems keep the region cloud-free and trap hot air rising from the surface like a lid on a steaming pot,” she told news.com.au.
“This lessens heat loss and leads to building temperatures by day, and hot nights that follow.”
The heat is expected to peak in SA and Victoria on Friday, and in NSW on Saturday.
Adelaide is looking at 36C on Friday with Mildura on 44C. The heat won’t trouble Melbourne mush however.
Residents in the NSW northern tablelands, central west slopes and plains and lower and upper western districts were urged to prepare for above average temperatures, with some areas tipped to reach the high thirties to low forties
On Saturday, the Sydney basin looks likely to reach its highest temperatures in three to four years. The city is forecast to peak at 38C with a boiling 44C in Penrith in the west.
It’s a drastic change from the subdued summers of La Nina years — last year, temperatures in Sydney didn’t break 30C until mid-January.
Canberra could see 36C on Saturday, Wollongong 38C, Newcastle 40C, Dubbo 42C and Forbes 43C.
Widespread areas of SA are under catastrophic fire danger ratings, with Ms Osborne describing Friday as “one of the highest days of fire danger in SA since November 2019”.
“Friday is looking challenging as a strengthening trough directs hot and gusty winds over SA and into VIC and Southwest NSW,” she said.
No total fire bans were declared in NSW, but the NSW Rural Fire Service urged people in bushfire prone areas to have an action plan ready in the case of an emergency.
NSW Health also warned about the effects of heatwaves on vulnerable people, including those over 65 years, babies, young children, pregnant women and the homeless.
Aussies are being urged to avoid being outdoors during the hottest part of the day, wear sunscreen, sunglasses and hats and stay hydrated.
A welcome cool change is expected to roll in for all coastal regions from next week, though temperatures are forecast to remain high in western NSW and Australia’s interior.
“SA and VIC can expect to be 10-15 degrees cooler in southern areas by Saturday and the NSW coast will follow overnight into Sunday morning,” Ms Osborne said.
For SA, the cool change is likely to be accompanied by a developing rain event.
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