Heatwave across Australia’s south-east continues for eighth day ahead of a welcome cool change | Australia weather
A cool change this weekend is expected to bring an end to eight consecutive days of blistering temperatures above 40C in Australia’s south-east.
However, before that, the heat continued on Saturday as well. Heatwave warnings continued in all states and territories except Tasmania; Temperatures are expected to reach 41°C in Canberra and temperatures in inland New South Wales, including Broken Hill, are expected to rise above 45°C.
Maximum temperatures peaked around 50C in northern parts of South Australia and western NSW on Friday; these were 49.8C at Marree and 50C at Andamooka near Roxby Downs, both record temperatures. It was the seventh day that the temperature rose above 46 degrees in Marree.
Ceduna rose above 49 degrees this week, while temperatures in Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Tarcoola rose above 48 degrees.
Highest temperatures predicted for Saturday include 49C at Ivanhoe in western NSW, 48C at Wilcannia and 47C at Cobar. Mildura in Victoria was expected to reach 45C, while further north Thargomindah in Queensland was expected to reach 46C.
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Dean Narramore, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said inland southeastern Australia had suffered record temperatures all week, with Saturday marking the last day of temperatures in the mid-to-high 40s.
Widespread rain and storms in tropical northern Australia due to low monsoon rainfall will bring cooler weather to parts of Victoria and South Australia on Saturday, before wreaking havoc on the rest of the country’s southeast on Sunday, he said. Temperatures can drop to 15 degrees.
“Inland temperature will be the big story once again, we’ll see another day of temperatures in the mid to high 40s across southwestern Queensland,” he said.
“Another very hot day is approaching in northern South Australia on Saturday, but it will be much cooler in South Australia thanks to fresh and gusty south-southeast winds with temperatures in the 20s to 30s.”
In NSW, Narramore said temperatures would once again rise to the mid-to-high 40s in the west, with cooler conditions expected along the coast and storms expected in the south-east.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-40s in Victoria’s northwest on the final day, while cold conditions will continue in the southern parts of the state.
Two fires in Victoria, including the Carlisle River in the Otways and the Walwa bushfire on the NSW border, were yet to be brought under control on Saturday. Both were at the watch and act level, and communities were slowly returning to the area.
On Sunday, Sydney was expected to hit 29C with showers and thunderstorms, while Canberra was expected to drop to 31C and Melbourne was expected to hit a maximum of 19C with a few showers. Brisbane was expected to reach 33C, while Adelaide was expected to reach 25C.
Australia is experiencing its second major heatwave in January, following another earlier in the month, and analysts say it is five times more likely due to global warming.
The climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heat waves and wildfires.
Warmer than average days and nights were expected to continue across much of the country into April, according to the latest long-range forecast. Sea surface temperatures will remain above the global average, including around Australia.
