Heatwave alert: Scorching hot weather returns with a vengeance
After last week’s cool spell you’d be forgiven for thinking the worst of summer is finally behind us, but forecasts suggest it’s about to return with a vengeance, with parts of the country expected to face severe heatwaves in the coming days.
Parts of Sydney and Brisbane are expected to hit the 40°C mark, with Canberra facing temperatures of 35°C and Melbourne and Adelaide not too far off.
“There’s been a bit of a nice reprieve from that heat but it’s coming back again particularly for the south of the country,” Sky News Weather meteorologist Rob Sharpe told news.com.au.
“In Adelaide, the heatwave is going to persist across much of the week. It won’t be quite as intense as the previous heatwave that crossed southeast Australia, but we’ll still see some pretty hot temperatures moving through,” he said.
“In Adelaide, the long-term average for February is 28.5C but on Sunday they got to 34C and that will rise this week to the point they will have six days in a row above average.”
But what’s driving these hot conditions?
“The reason it will get so hot is a high pressure system is setting up in the Tasman Sea off the NSW coast. Because the winds travel anticlockwise around high pressure systems, we have north-westerly winds drawing heat from the north of the country down into the south and that’s where it will sit for a number of days,” Mr Sharpe said.
Your capital city’s forecast:
Adelaide
High temperatures will peak at 39°C on Friday, with a cool change coming on the weekend. While temperatures will be high, humidity is expected to be low.
Melbourne
Temperatures will peak on Wednesday at 34°C, before steadying.
Hobart
Expect a high of 28°C on Wednesday before cooler weekend conditions.
Canberra
It’s going to be a warm week, with a peak of 35°C on Saturday.
Sydney
Temperatures in Sydney will heat 29°C, pushing almost 40°C out west.
Brisbane
Temperatures could rise to a high of 37°C on Sunday.
Darwin
Rains and high temperatures of 32°C are expected.
Perth
Expect a steady week of sunshine with a high of 33°C.
Hero image credit: Twitter / Sky News