Severe heatwave hits southeastern Australia with temperatures above 40C, bushfire risk spikes

Millions of Australians are set to be sweltered by a severe heatwave from Friday into the weekend; temperatures exceed 40°C in much of the country; This is also clearly seen in the real-time global temperature map.

A post shared by the Non Aesthetic Things account on X, using Zoom Earth data, showed Australia glowing deep orange and red on a real-time global temperature map, standing out sharply against much colder conditions elsewhere in the world.

The post was captioned: “Australia is the hottest place on earth right now… by far.”

The scorching heat is also reflected in severe heatwave warnings that are still in place across much of south-east Australia; The worst of the heat is expected to ease first in Victoria and then continue to affect much of the east coast.

Extreme heat combined with strong winds and dry conditions are fueling out-of-control bushfires in parts of Victoria and southern NSW, prompting emergency fire weather warnings as authorities warn of catastrophic conditions.

Sydneysiders are warned against extreme heat; Temperatures are expected to exceed 33°C on Friday and 42°C on Saturday in most of the port city.

The Bureau of Meteorology said a heatwave warning was in effect until Sunday for the Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, South West Slopes and Riverina.

A severe heatwave warning is also in place for the Hunter, Central Highlands, Central West Hills and Plains, Lower West and Upper West.

The bureau warned that very hot, dry and windy conditions would lead to extreme fire danger in the Eastern and Southern Riverina on Friday.

Christie Johnson, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said on Friday that temperatures were expected to be in the 40s in many areas, and severe heatwave warnings were in effect in all states except Queensland.

He said temperatures on Friday were expected to be in the 40s in northern and eastern South Australia, much of Victoria, western and southern NSW, the Southern Northern Territory and northern and inland Western Australia.

Victoria is facing the most dangerous fire conditions on Friday, with devastating fire danger forecast for parts of the North Central, Northern Country, South West and Wimmera regions, and extreme fire danger elsewhere in the state.

Very hot and dry conditions are expected to continue until Friday, with strong winds from north to northwest, followed by a cooler and harsher change from west to southwest in the afternoon and evening.

The bureau warned that isolated storms could develop near and south of the ranges, bringing little precipitation but increasing the risk of dry lightning and high winds.

A scorching 46 degrees is expected for Port Augusta, Renmark, Roxbury Downs, Cooper PD Marie and Oonadatta in South Australia, Owen in Victoria and Bell Ranald in NSW.

“Strong north-westerly winds, potentially reaching 90km/h, are forecast to increase fire danger, particularly in Victoria and southern NSW,” he said.

“A cool change is expected to bring relief over the weekend, with the hottest day forecast for Saturday across NSW, including Sydney. The community is advised to monitor local emergency services for updates.”

Ms Johnson said parts of South Australia were the hottest in the country on Thursday, with temperatures topping 48 degrees in Tau and Woodner.

Meanwhile, in Victoria, Warrnambool reached 46.5C, Hopetoun reached 46.3C, and Swan Hill and Mildura reached 46C.

It was also very hot in Southern NSW on Thursday; There were temperatures of 45.9C at Hay, 45.4C at Deniliquin and 44.9C at Ivanhoe.

It comes as an out-of-control bushfire rages in northern Victoria, with officials warning conditions would be “catastrophic” on Friday.

The fire in Longwood, about 150 kilometers north of Melbourne, has been burning at emergency levels since Wednesday night and shows no signs of abating as temperatures and winds have increased throughout the day.

Forecasts show temperatures in Longwood will drop to around 30°C on Saturday and 23°C on Sunday following the cool change; but before the change, strong winds are expected before conditions warm back into the lower 30s early next week.

The heatwave is expected to retreat from Victoria on Sunday, with coastal and inland parts of the ACT and NSW continuing to bear the brunt of extreme heat until the end of the weekend, according to the Bureau.