Extreme heatwave set to make the week before Christmas unbearable
Get out those pedestal fans and stock up on sunscreen – you’re going to need it this week. Australia is set to experience sweltering temperatures in the lead up to Christmas as a heatwave sweeps through the country, with New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland set to cop the brunt of the extreme temperatures.
Parts of north-west NSW, which battled through temps of up to 45 degrees yesterday, won’t see much of a reprieve, with the heat sticking around today and tomorrow. Queensland’s south-west and parts of regional South Australia may also see 45-degree days today and tomorrow.
Sydney is also set to sweat, with temperatures set to reach 30 degrees today and around 35 degrees (potentially over 40 in the west) by the middle of the week before cooling down significantly on Thursday.
Brisbane can expect warm, sunny weather with temps in the low 30s, while Melbourne will suffer through a scorching 36-degree day tomorrow – though this is expected to drop to the mid-20s by the middle of the week.
Adelaide is likely to be the hottest capital today, expecting up 40 degrees today, though this is expected to drop by 13 degrees tomorrow, when the heatwave moves on through Canberra, which will nudge 40 degrees tomorrow.
Darwin won’t fare much better at 34 degrees today, and will remain in the mid-30s throughout the week.
Hobart will see a hot and windy Tuesday, reaching 31 degrees, but this will drop to the low-to-mid-20s for the rest of the week.
Perth is looking to be the coolest part of the country today and tomorrow, at 20 and 23 degrees respectively, until its own separate heatwave hits on Thursday.
“Wherever you’re going to be on Wednesday, it’s going to be warm and humid,” senior meteorologist at Weatherzone, Jacob Cronje, told 9News.
“Nights are not really going to drop below the 20s and the heatwave on Wednesday is likely to start the evening before.
“It looks like it’s going to be the hottest day leading into Christmas. There’s also a chance we could see more heat like this between Christmas and New Year.
“A high pressure system in the Tasman Sea is currently directing moisture onto the coast and there’s also a trough extending from the interior of the country which is helping to create the necessary instability for thunderstorms between 6am and 8am this morning.”