Heatwave hits SA, Victoria NSW: records could fall; power fears as mercury soars into mid-40s

As mercury soars to mid-40s and Victoria experiences heatwave-driven power cuts, BoM says the day could be record breaker.

Temperatures in some areas of South Australia had soared past 40C by 10am Wednesday.

Thousands across Victoria are without power as the state swelters in a severe heatwave that is having an impact across Australia and could shatter records.

Preliminary Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) data suggested Tuesday, December 17, 2019, was a record-breaker with the average temperature across the country currently believed to be 40.9C. If the figure becomes official it would break the previous record of 40.3C set on January 7, 2013.

The figure was calculated by averaging maximum temperatures across the country.

But that ‘record’ could fall again before the week is out with the heatwave predicted to intensify. Southern and central Australia could experience temperatures up to 16 degrees above average before a cool change late on Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology expects inland parts of the territory and states will experience temperatures in the mid-to-high 40s, and 50C or above in the Nullarbor.

Power out in Victoria

With emergency measures activated on Wednesday afternoon to protect the energy network as South Australia and Victoria dealt with extreme heat, power went out for about 3000 PowerCor customers in Werribee and surrounding suburbs about 4pm. About 2000 customers remain without power, a spokesman for the company confirmed.

“Crews are continuing to work to restore the remaining customers as quickly and as safely as possible,” he said.

“The cause is under investigation.”

The Bureau of Meteorology expects a southerly wind change to bring temperatures down overnight, with milder conditions across southern areas forecast for Thursday.

Preliminary results suggest that the 17th December was Australia's hottest day on record at 40.9 ºC, with the average maximum across the country as a whole, exceeding the previous record of 40.3 ºC on the 7th January 2013. https://t.co/TKwWBuFPgJ pic.twitter.com/xOFpokoXos

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 18, 2019

Severe heatwave conditions are likely for much of #Victoria from today until at least Friday, with extreme heatwave conditions for the far Northwest and parts of the Northeast https://t.co/8Wx6xfXeI7 pic.twitter.com/RIZcmUiVI7

— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) December 17, 2019

Victoria: 41C at Essendon

As temperatures soared past 40C the state’s power supply faced its first major test of the summer.

A top of 39C was is forecast for Melbourne on Wednesday. It hit 39.7 just before 3pm.

It was 41C at Essendon Airport at 3pm, and 39.2C at Olympic Park.

There will be a short respite on Thursday, but Victoria could record its hottest December day on Friday if centres in the northwest such as Mildura and Swan Hill reach a forecast 47C.

Mildura is forecast to swelter through three days in a row of 45C and above.

Friday’s maximum temperature in Melbourne has been upgraded to 43C.

“Northerly winds are going to bring that very hot air over the north right down across the state right down to the coast, so 43C in the city some suburbs even nudging 44C,” Mr Stewart said.

Melbourne could record its hottest December day on Friday, with the record of 43.7C set in 1876.

A total fire ban has been declared for all of Victoria on Friday.

South Australia: Rocketing past 40C

After Perth sweltered through three consecutive days above 40C at the weekend, Adelaide is now facing a four-day run that is expected to peak at 44C on Friday.

South Australia could see maximum temperature records fall. Adelaide is expected to reach a high of 44C on Friday while the Riverland district could breach 50C on Thursday. Daytime temperatures in Victoria, NSW and the ACT are expected to exceed 40C later this week.

After a sweaty Tuesday night, in which the temperature dropped to a minimum of just 28.6C about 6.30am Wednesday, the temperature is forecast to reach 42C in Adelaide.

Adding to the preliminary list of #SouthAustralia sites breaking their December max temperature records are Mt Lofty 37.1°C, Noarlunga 42°C, Wudinna 46.3°C, Murray Bridge 45°C https://t.co/WvOxV1cybE

— Bureau of Meteorology, South Australia (@BOM_SA) December 18, 2019

As another day of scorching temperatures bakes SA an extreme heatwave is taking hold and records are likely to tumble. Relief will come to many areas on Friday as a cool change sweeps across the west and south.
See the latest heatwave forecast at: https://t.co/vxCzv4flUR pic.twitter.com/g5Cp0WrXFQ

— Bureau of Meteorology, South Australia (@BOM_SA) December 17, 2019

It hit 44C at Kent Town in Adelaide at 2.40pm, 40.7C at Adelaide airport and 45C at Pallamana.

Inland, at Cooper Pedy, conditions are forecast to be even more extreme on Wednesday with a top of 47C forecast. It was 44.7 at 2.40pm.

The ironically-named Tarcoola hit 46C at 2.20pm.

NSW, ACT: 44C at Smithville

The heatwave is being driven by an extremely hot air mass travelling across Australia from west to east.

In NSW, the heatwave will elevate fire risk as it moves through parts of the state still battling more than 100 bushfires on Thursday.

The is a four-day total fire ban for the state.

Western NSW is already sweltering: the weather bureau’s Smithville outpost in northwestern NSW recorded a temperature of 44C on Wednesday afternoon — the highest in the state.

Other places also sweltered with Wilcannia recording a temperature of 42.5C, Borrona Downs 43.1C and Tibooburra 42.9C.

The Bureau of Meteorology says there’s a high chance December and annual maximum temperature records could be broken in a number of places across the state as the heat soars.

Bureau acting NSW manager Jane Golding said the extreme heat would extending north to Wollongong, the Sydney metropolitan area, the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Dubbo from Thursday.

“We’re looking at temperatures during the daytime that are around 10C to 14C above average for this time of year,” she said.

“With the heat comes fires, so we’re expecting some particularly tricky days for the fire response on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”

Western NSW temperatures are expected to climb above 45C while Canberra is bracing for 43C on Saturday. Sydney’s west could see 46C on Saturday.

“For the ACT we’re looking at five days in a row above about 37 degrees. Three of those days will be in the low 40s, so severe to extreme heatwave conditions,” BOM acting NSW manager Jane Golding said.

Queensland:

The nation’s most popular beaches are expected to be even more crowded over the coming days as people desperately look for ways to cool down the heatwave moves across the country.

The Sunshine state is braced for a sweltering run-up to Christmas, with most of the state’s interior expected to reach at least 40C by the weekend.

The BOM says temperatures throughout the interior west of Ipswich, near Brisbane, right up to Doomadgee on the Northern Territory border, will sit in the low- to mid-40s for at least a few days from Friday. Sunday is expected to be the hottest, with temperatures up to 12C above average in some towns.

Birdsville is expected to hit 47C on Wednesday, well above its December average of 38.9C.

It will “cool” to 45C before heating up again on Monday.

However its Christmas Eve forecast of 47C is still well shy of its state record of 49.5C on the same day in 1972.

The states southeast will escape the worst of the heat, but Brisbane will still hit 35C on Sunday.

The coastal areas will be cooler with parts of the Gold Coast expected to be under 30C on Christmas Eve

Alice Springs is expected to reach 45C on Thursday, close to its hottest temperature of 45.6C, a record met twice last summer.

Shopping centres along the ­nation’s eastern seaboard are also bracing for an influx of patrons seeking the cool confines of their airconditioned stores during the already hectic Christmas shopping period, with temperatures predicted to hit the mid-40s.

Westfield said its stores were bracing for huge crowds in the week before Christmas.

“It is quite common for customers to seek respite from the heat in our centres,” a spokeswoman told The Australian.

Hottest spring on record

Australia’s driest spring on record set the scene for a devastating bushfire season in which fierce blazes have swept across the country, APP reports.

As well as confirming spring 2019 as also the second-warmest ever recorded, a special climate statement from the BOM stated rainfall was 62 per cent below average, making the spring of 2019 the driest since the previous all-time low in 1967.

“The low rainfall added to pre-existing rainfall deficiencies and low soil moisture, exacerbating the meteorological and hydrological drought conditions and meaning forest fuels remained dry,” the BOM said.

The average maximum daytime temperature was 2.41C above average, the second-warmest on record behind 2014.

The country also struggled through record high fire weather danger — as measured using the Forest Fire Danger Index — in each of the country’s states and territories during spring.

“The dangerous fire weather conditions during spring 2019 is consistent with the increasingly severe fire weather seen in many areas of the country, owing to increasing temperatures and reduced cool season rainfall,” the BOM said.

with AAP