By Sarah Brookes
Perth broke its record for the most days hotter than 40 degrees in February on Thursday, as the city sweltered through its third heatwave in as many weeks.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast the Perth metropolitan area would reach 43 degrees on Thursday, with Sunday tipped to be 42 degrees, and Monday 41 degrees.
Perth is set to break the record for most February days above 40 degrees.Credit: WAtoday
The mercury climbed above 40 degrees for a fifth day in February just before 1pm on Thursday.
The record for the most number of days above 40 degrees days in February was four, reached in 1985 and 2016. That record could even be doubled by the end of the month.
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Joey Rawson said the continuing heatwave conditions were the result of three troughs forming one after another.
“Today we have an offshore trough along the west coast, so we’re getting winds that are dragging that hot air mass from inland WA,” he said.
“We’ve got the north-east winds to arrive in really hot conditions that have just been building up it feels like all summer.”
There was a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm north of Perth with little to no rainfall.
Rawson said the trough would move inland on Friday, bringing a cooler maximum of 29 degrees when winds from the ocean move across the city.
“It is a welcome relief for sure, but then, as we get to the weekend, that trough comes back into play,” he said.
“All that heat that’s been lingering and cranking up over most of the summer is then just going to get sucked back towards the coast as that trough then moves offshore over the weekend.”
The temperature is forecast to be several degrees warmer around Bullsbrook, Perth Airport and the foothills.
An extreme fire danger has been issued for Thursday for northern and inland suburbs in the metropolitan area, including Cottesloe, Joondalup, Bayswater, Mundaring and Swan shires.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said fires would spread quickly and be extremely dangerous under Thursday’s conditions.
There have been seven days above 40 degrees so far this summer, all in 2024.
40-degree days this summer
- January 13: 40.7C
- January 31: 41.9C
- February 1: 42.6C
- February 2: 40.4C
- February 9: 42.0C
- February 10: 42.3C
One-third of the days this year – 15 out of 42 – have recorded temperatures of 35 degrees or above.
The average number of days of 40 degrees or above is 3.3 in summer, while the summer with the most number of days of 40 degrees or above took place in 2021-22, where the benchmark was passed on 13 days.
WA Health Minister Amber Jade Sanderson said the hot weather had put additional pressure on emergency departments.
“It is another hot day, and we are expecting high level of presentations and calls to triple zero, so I urge people to look after themselves, stay cool and reach out to their vulnerable relatives,” she said.
Sanderson said the state operations centre was co-ordinating with hospitals to relieve pressure on emergency departments.
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