Severe heatwave to send temperatures soaring past 40C in Aussie cities
The heat wave spreading across most of the country will cause temperatures to rise in Australia’s two capital cities on Wednesday.
Nearly 9 million people in Victoria and South Australia will be overwhelmed by extreme temperatures, with both Melbourne and Adelaide expected to reach 42C on Wednesday.
The heatwave will affect the majority of the country by Sunday, with warnings in effect for NSW, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
Residents in the Central, South West and Wimmera fire danger zones have been told to be on high alert as it is feared the heat could bring bushfires in Victoria.
“Very hot and dry conditions, with moderate to fresh northerly and north-westerly winds, followed by a lighter southwesterly to southerly change developing in the south-west in the afternoon, then spreading across the western and midlands in the afternoons and evening,” the Bureau of Meteorology warned.
Fire warnings are in full force across much of South Australia, with residents of the West Coast, East Eyre Peninsula, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East and Lower South East told to prepare for the worst.
Scorching temperatures set in in WA on Monday, bringing with them fire warnings and serious health concerns for residents.
The heat wave began spreading across the country on Tuesday and is now affecting the east coast, according to bureau senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury.
“Over the last few days we’ve seen an increase in heat over Western Australia, driven in part by a low pressure trough that helps drag in warmth from central Australia, and the sunny days we’ve seen have allowed that warmth to build,” he said.
Things will get worse in the coming days, according to Ms Bradbury, with a heatwave turning from severe to extreme at the NSW-Victoria border on Friday and Saturday.
“We could see some places moving towards 46°C, possibly even 47°C,” he said
“The places I’m talking about are mostly the northern parts of Victoria, sort of the southwestern part of New South Wales and also the eastern parts of South Australia.
“For example, at this point Mildura could see 46C on Friday.”
Other areas of concern include Mallee, Ouyen and Birchip in Victoria and Balranald in NSW.
Temperatures are just starting to rise in NSW; After reaching 33 degrees in Sydney on Wednesday, it jumped to 40C on Saturday.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns that such extreme heatwaves can be dangerous.
“Heat waves are not just summer heat, but significantly higher temperatures that last for days,” Ms Bradbury said.
“These not only affect people vulnerable to heat, such as the elderly or pregnant women, but also young, fit and healthy people who might not normally have problems with high temperatures.”
