This weekend will be perfect conditions for a trip to the beach in Australia. Photo / NewsWire
Millions of Australians can expect a hot weekend, with some regions tipped to exceed 40C, before a cool change will cause temperatures to plummet.
The bright and sunny conditions are being driven by a high-pressure system sweeping over the nation, bringing a band of hot weather with it.
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Christie Johnson told NewsWire the high-pressure system stretching across the country would bring “quite a lot of hot air”.
“On Saturday, [the hot air] will be in inland parts of Western Australia, western parts of South Australia and parts of Central Australia,” she said.
“As we move into Sunday, as that front moves eastwards, it will push the hottest air into the eastern states.”
Residents in South Australia, inland NSW and Victoria are set to bear the brunt of this heat the most, with conditions expected to reach 29C in Adelaide on Saturday and 28C on Sunday.
While Friday is tipped to be cool and wet for Melbourne, the heat will turn up over the weekend, reaching a top of 25C on Saturday before peaking at 28C on Sunday.
Sydney residents can hit the beach over the weekend too, with a sunny 23C on Saturday and 28C on Sunday.
It’s not just the southeast coast that can expect warm conditions, with scorching temperatures forecast to tip above 40C in the Kimberley region.
“We’ve been seeing temperatures in the 40s up around the Kimberley for a number of days,” Johnson told NewsWire.
“We’ll potentially see some of those 40C temperatures through inland parts of South Australia over the weekend.”
However, the warm conditions aren’t expected to stick around for long, with temperatures set to plummet once the cool change sets in next week.
“That will mean temperatures will drop significantly as we go into Monday,” Johnson said.
“When the cool change comes through will depend on the timing of when the front comes through … it depends where you are.”
Starting in the west, once the band of heat passes over, residents will be met with showers and wind, anticipated to begin on Saturday and targeting Perth before moving east towards inland Australia.
“We’ll see showers over sort of the southwest land division and parts of the Gascoyne and the Goldfields on Saturday,” Johnson told NewsWire.
“Into Sunday, we’ll see those showers moving to the coast … and southern parts of South Australia. Then, on Sunday night, we’ll see (rain) moving into Victoria and also covering over Tassie.”
The wet conditions will then hit parts of southern NSW, as well as northern and eastern Victoria, the majority of which will be felt on Monday.
As the pressure system moves away from the southern states at the tail end of the weekend, the hot air will be forced up towards NSW and Queensland, followed by the cool change.
“We’ll probably see Monday as the hottest day before the cool air starts to push up into parts of NSW on Tuesday,” Johnson said.
“It’s really just a case of hot air building in the west that’s going to make its way eastwards over the weekend and into early next week.”
Those living in Queensland need not fear the cool change as much, though, as the majority of the state will continue its hot streak for the rest of the week.
On Friday, Brisbane residents can expect sunny skies and light winds, reaching a top of 28C.
Sunshine and westerly winds are forecast for Sydney, with a maximum temperature of 24C.
Conditions will be partly cloudy in Canberra, with north to northwesterly winds and a cool maximum temperature of 18C.
In Melbourne, residents can expect cloudy skies and a high chance of showers in the morning and afternoon, reaching a top of 18C.
Hobart can expect a cloudy day with a medium chance of showers and a maximum temperature of 16C.
Conditions will be partly cloudy in Adelaide on Friday, with a slight chance of a shower in the hills and southern suburbs, with a top of 21C.
It will be partly cloudy in Perth with a chance of smoke haze in the early morning and a shower in the evening, reaching a top of 23C.
In Darwin, conditions will be sunny and hot, with a slight chance of a shower in the afternoon and light winds, reaching a maximum of 25C.
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