This long weekend, temperatures in Australia’s south will reach unbearable levels.
In the early hours of Saturday, the temperature in Adelaide’s CBD was already 30.7 degrees Celsius. By 3 pm, it could reach 40 degrees Celsius.
Due to heatwave conditions in Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia, major cities such as Melbourne and Adelaide will be punished with temperatures that will reach or even exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
Over nine million people are expected to sweat it out over the long weekend. In Melbourne, the temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius or higher on three consecutive days. This is the first time in 82 years that the city has experienced such extreme temperatures. The heatwave is caused by a blocking high pressure system that’s moving across the country’s south.
The combination of these extreme temperatures and the lack of relief from the cold front is expected to increase the bushfire risks in the regions affected by the heatwave, including Tasmania, Victoria, NSW, and the ACT.
Although the NSW coast will experience cooler temperatures, the mercury is still expected to reach the high 20s. In Western Australia, the weather will be sodden with up to 100mm of rainfall expected over the weekend. According to the BOM’s Miriam Bradbury, a heatwave is a prolonged period of warm temperatures that can affect the body’s recovery process.
The prolonged exposure to extremely hot temperatures can affect the recovery process of the body. This is why it’s important that people stay hydrated and stay cool. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a heatwave warning for South Australia, which includes the entire state except for the northwest. The extreme temperatures are expected to affect coastal areas and the north and eastern regions of Tasmania.
Hobart, Melbourne, and Adelaide are in the heatwave zone. In Adelaide, the temperature is expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday. It’s expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius on Sunday and 38 degrees Celsius on Monday. The BOM noted that there’s a chance that records could be broken in South Australia.
Daytime temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius are expected to occur on Tuesday and Wednesday. Melbourne will experience 39 degrees Celsius on a windy Saturday and 38 degrees Celsius on a sunny Sunday and Monday. The temperature in the city will drop to 25 degrees on Tuesday. In Victoria, aside from the mountains, the state will experience 35 degrees Celsius or more for a string of days.
In the Bass Strait region, temperatures of 34 degrees Celsius can be expected in the city of Hobart on Saturday. In the next couple of days, the mercury is expected to drop to around 20 degrees Celsius. In the nation’s capital, Canberra, the maximum temperatures are expected to reach around 30 degrees Celsius until next Friday.
Areas in NSW’s southern regions are experiencing a heatwave. Temperatures of up to 39 degrees Celsius are expected to be experienced in the following days in Griffith, Ivanhoe, Deniliquin, and Wagga Wagga. Sydney is expected to experience temperatures of around 28 degrees Celsius over the weekend. However, it’s expected to reach 32 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
Expect coastal and northern NSW to experience high temperatures of around 20 degrees Celsius. In the next couple of days, showers are expected to occur in some parts of Brisbane. Temperatures are expected to reach 29 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and reach 33 degrees Celsius on Friday. In Darwin, some rain with a total of 25mm was reported on Sunday as storms hit the city.
In Perth, the temperature is expected reach 27 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 29 degrees Celsius on Sunday. In the city’s blue skies, it will be around 31 degrees Celsius on Monday. Meanwhile, a line of heavy rain is moving across the south coast and is expected to affect Kalgoorlie and Kununurra. In the north coast, the region could see up to 130mm of rain over the next couple of days.