Download an interview with meteorologist Sarah Scully discussing the upcoming heat:
Download an interview with climatologist Dr Blair Trewin discussing the climate and historical significance of the upcoming heat
The Bureau of Meteorology is reminding communities to remain alert to the risks posed by heatwaves, with a week of extreme temperatures set to impact large parts of south-eastern Australia.
Temperatures will begin to rise in South Australia today, and will continue to build in the coming days, pushing east into Victoria and New South Wales over the course of the week.
Bureau meteorologist Sarah Scully says many areas will experience severe to extreme heatwaves this week.
“We’re expecting large areas of inland South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales to experience temperatures in the mid to high 40s,” she said.
“For many areas, severe to extreme heatwave conditions will be felt, so it’s important people follow the advice of health authorities, stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings from the Bureau and remember to check in on any vulnerable family and friends.”
Bureau climatologist Dr Blair Trewin said temperatures in many locations are forecast to approach or even exceed December and potentially annual records.
“We saw significant heat build over Western Australia over the course of last week, and that heat is now pushing east over the continent, which is going to lead to several days of exceptional heat,” Dr Trewin said.
“Australia’s warmest day on record occurred in January 2013, when the average maximum temperature across the continent was 40.30 ºC.
“We’re closely monitoring the development and progression of this heat but based on current forecasts we could see that record broken this week.”
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