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Heatwave alert: Temperatures soar during last days of summer

Feb 26, 2019

Temperatures are expected to soar throughout the last few days of summer. Source: Getty

Temperatures are set to soar once again through parts of the country as Australia prepares to battle through one final heatwave for the summer.

Southern areas of the country including South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia are forecast for a scorcher throughout the last few days of the season with temperatures expected to rise to 40 degrees.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a low severe heatwave for most of WA and low intensity heatwave conditions for a small area of south-western Northern Territory, over the south coast, inland areas of SA and central and eastern Victoria. This scorching heat is also forecast to reach Tasmania later in the week and into the weekend.

#Heatwave conditions over #WA extending across the southeast of Australia. #Adelaide to experience 7 consecutive days above 36°C, #Melbourne 5 consecutive days above 30°C. Stay cool. https://t.co/EpfPqtNH9R pic.twitter.com/KDaxz7YR7s

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 25, 2019

“The heatwave will intensify as we move through the week,” Sky News Chief Meteorologist Tom Saunders explained.

“It will become severe across South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania later in the week with minimums and maximums well above average.

“Adelaide will be 37 on Wednesday and Thursday and up to 40 degrees by the time we hit the weekend. Melbourne is climbing back up to 35 on Thursday, that will be the first of at least four consecutive days of at least 35 degrees.”

However, Saunders added there will be some relief later in the week as a southerly airstream moves through the southern coastline on Sunday.

The latest weather forecast comes days after a severe weather warning was issued for parts of Queensland due to Cyclone Oma.

Last Thursday the cyclone sat around 900 kilometres northeast of Brisbane with fears it could approach the coastline with predictions of gale force winds and dangerous surf conditions.

While Oma thankfully didn’t reach the coast, it did bring with it massive waves off Queensland’s southeast coast, exceeding 12 metres offshore from Mooloolaba. The high tides also brought with it significant coastal erosion, particularly on the Sunshine Coast.

The effects of the cyclone were nothing compared the battering Far North Queensland received during the one in 500 year flooding event earlier this month.

The city of Townsville, which usually avoids mass rainfall, received the brunt of the rain, with thousands of homes left damaged from flooding.

Hundreds if not thousands of residents were forced out of their homes during the event with many residents seeking refuge in evacuation centres for days on end as they waited for flood levels to drop.

Not only that, during the cleanup one person died and nine were sent to intensive care after contracting the dangerous soil-borne disease melioidosis.