Scorching conditions lie ahead for Australia over the week, with the mercury in some regions tipped to climb into the high 40s.
Scorching conditions lie ahead for Australia over the week, with the mercury in some regions tipped to climb into the high 40s.
Millions of Aussies are on alert for scorching conditions, elevated fire danger and even possible thunderstorms over the coming days – amid a wild 50C temperature range across the country in the first week of summer.
Multiple heatwave warnings are in place for parts of Western Australia, South Australia, theNorthern Territory and Queensland until Friday as the mercury climbs upward of 45C in WA’s Pilbara region.
On Tuesday, maximum temperatures in NSW were 4-10 degrees above the December average.
According to Weatherzone, there was a 50C temperature range across Australia in the first week of summer.
The temperatures ranged from -4C at Thredbo in NSW on December 2, to 46C at Moomba in SA and in Birdsville, Queensland on December 6.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s afternoon update on Tuesday stated there was widespread high fire danger through the central and regional parts of the state – including the Hunter, Illawarra and Sydney metropolitan forecast districts.
Heatwave warnings - including a severe warning - remain in place for parts of WA, SA, the NT and Queensland until Friday.
Meteorologist Christie Johnson said the metro area even had pockets of “extreme” fire danger.
Temperatures in Sydney climbed to 30C on Tuesday and up to 39C in Penrith.
“We’re not expecting to see the widespread extreme fire danger that we saw at the weekend,” Johnson said in the bureau’s update.
“The winds are not as strong as they were on Saturday, but we are still looking at high fire danger through much of the state.”
Johnson said a trough lingering over northeastern NSW would increase the risk of thunderstorms over Wednesday and Thursday, which could produce damaging wind gusts and large hail.
On Tuesday evening, multiple fire alerts remained in place across NSW.
Last weekend, fires ripped through at least 20 homes.
Temperatures are forecast to drop to below 25C over today and tomorrow.
But Sky News Weather meteorologist Tamsin Green said some conditions for the country’s interior were set to get more severe.
“We can see the real focus really is across the interior by the end of the week,” she said, pointing to a forecast model which indicated temperatures in excess of 45C were likely for some central areas on Friday,” Green said.
“So that focus really is across the centre, also portions of the west as well, rather than the east towards the end of the week.”
Heatwave warnings remain in place for multiple states today, continuing into Friday.
In WA, a severe heatwave warning is in place for the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, North Interior and South Interior forecast districts.
“Maximum temperatures ranging from the high 30s to the mid-40s and overnight minimum temperatures in the mid to high twenties,” the bureau’s warning states.
A similar warning exists for the Gulf Country in Queensland – with forecasts of maximum temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s, with overnight minimum temperatures in the mid to high 20s.
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