Sydney has recorded its hottest August day since 1995 as parts of Australia swelter through a warm and windy end to winter, and what is almost certain to be the country’s hottest August on record.
The city’s official weather station at Observatory Hill recorded a maximum of 30.2C at 2.30pm. The city’s overall record August temperature set in 1995 was 31.3C.
Hot and windy conditions were forecast for Sydney on Friday and temperatures in the mid-20s forecast for the weekend.
Brisbane could reach 32C on Friday and higher on the weekend and into next week.
Miriam Bradbury, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said places expecting extreme heat included Bourke in New South Wales, Roma, Charleville and Birdsville in Queensland, and Alice Springs and Yulara in the Northern Territory.
“Some parts of far south-west Queensland may even push up to 40C today,” she said.
The extremely windy weather in the south-east was expected to continue into the weekend. Bradbury said it had already been “a very, very windy week” in Tasmania and parts of Victoria, south-east South Australia and south-east NSW.
She said heat in Brisbane – forecast to reach between 32C and 34C on Saturday – was well above the city’s August average of about 23C.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting above-average heat to continue for most of Australia throughout spring too.
“Despite some typically cool winter temperatures at times on the east coast, winter has been warmer than usual across the country, with August on track to be Australia’s warmest August on record,” the bureau said.
The bureau’s preliminary results for winter indicated Australia’s mean temperature was about 1.5C above the 1961 to 1990 winter average. Scientists say the country is on track to record its hottest August as global heating shortens winter and brings warmth typical of spring and summer.
Above-average rainfall is also expected for much of the east coast over the coming months, according to the bureau’s long-range spring forecast.
Most of Queensland, NSW and the ACT should expect more rain than usual from September to November.
Drier-than-average conditions were forecast for Western Australia.
The northern wet season starts in October but the first significant rains were forecast to fall earlier than usual in Queensland and part of the Top End – but later in most of WA.
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Spring forecast by jurisdiction
* NSW and ACT – warmer than usual, above average rainfall in most areas, unusually high rainfall in NSW’s north and some central areas.
* Victoria – warmer than usual, typical rainfall in most areas, slightly increased chance of above average rainfall in parts of the south-west.
* Queensland – unusually warm days and nights in most parts, above average rainfall in most areas, first significant rains of the wet season likely to be earlier than usual.
* South Australia – warmer than usual with slightly above average rainfall in southern agricultural areas and parts of the north.
* Western Australia – warmer than usual in most areas except for the south, where temperatures will be average; unusually warm days and nights in the north, typical rainfall in most areas, first significant rains of the wet season likely later than usual.
* Tasmania – unusually warm days and nights, above average rainfall in the east.
* Northern Territory – unusually warm days and nights, typical rainfall, first significant rains of the wet season likely earlier than usual.
– with Australian Associated Press
