Heatwave to spread across entire country, flooding fears persist

Most of Australia is about to swelter through extremely hot conditions, with other regions bracing for further flooding.

Australia will swelter through a late-summer heatwave over the coming week, while the country’s north braces for severe rainstorms and possible flooding.

While much of the country can expect temperatures well in excess of 30C over the next few days, bringing elevated fire dangers, other parts of Australia will be doused in heavy rain and severe thunderstorms just days after the passing of Cyclone Gabrielle.

BOM Senior Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said an existing heatwave in Western Australia is moving eastwards from inland regions.

“Going into tomorrow and the weekend, areas of extreme heatwave conditions will emerge over the Pilbara,” Ms Bradbury said.

“At the same time, these very hot conditions are going to start extending eastwards into parts of South Australia and by Thursday into Victoria.

“This will continue across those southeastern parts early into the weekend and will move into central parts of NSW and push up the coast by the weekend.”

‘Very hot air’ from an ongoing heatwave in parts of WA will have reached eastern parts of the country by the weekend. Picture: Windy.com

In the country’s south, Melbourne is set to hit a maximum of 35C and 33C on Thursday and Friday, Adelaide should reach 35C and 38C on Wednesday and Thursday, while Hobart will hover in the high 20s until Monday, reaching a peak of 28C on Thursday.

Sydney will reach highs of 30C and 32C on Friday and Saturday and Canberra will sit in the low to mid-30s over the next week.

Brisbane will have a maximum of 31C from Friday to Sunday, then 32C from Monday to Tuesday, while Darwin will experience 32C-33C each day over the next week.

Perth will reach 33C from Saturday to Monday and will climb incrementally to 34C on Tuesday.

Adelaide is bracing for a scorcher on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

A “weakish” cold front will then move across the south east over the weekend, when a wind change will ease heatwave conditions in Victoria and Tasmania.

Heatwaves are expected to persist in Queensland and NSW over the weekend and into early next week at least.

“Very wet weather” can be expected in areas surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory and Queensland as a monsoon trough becomes active across the Cape York Peninsula and a tropical low moves over the Gulf.

“These events together are bringing quite a lot of rainfall to that part of Australia,” Ms Bradbury said.

A warning is currently in place for severe rainfall in that part of Queensland, while strong winds will bring damaging surf to parts of the NT.

“Over the coming days … it will start to weaken as it goes over land, but it will tap into that tropical moisture, so we’ll see widespread and potentially heavy rain (in that area),” Ms Bradbury said.

“Around the northeast tropical coast there is the potential for thunderstorms with winds and rains.”

Queensland braces for heavy rain just days after Cyclone Gabrielle moved out of Australian waters. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Ms Bradbury said over the coming days the Gulf Country and parts of western Queensland will experience either renewed or further flooding on top of recent weather events, with both riverine and flash flooding possible.

While Norfolk Island narrowly missed the worst of Cyclone Gabrielle over the weekend, the weather event has claimed multiple lives since hitting New Zealand on Sunday.

The cyclone is expected to track southeast away from Aotearoa from Wednesday.

Originally published as Heatwave to spread across entire country, flooding fears persist