Heat and elevated fire danger for southeast Australia

Australian Community Media

Heatwave conditions returning to much of the southeast.

Transcript

00:00Intense heat is building across southern and southeastern parts of the country, with severe

00:05heatwave conditions and extreme fire dangers over the coming days.

00:09But relief is on its way – we've got a strong and gusty cold front that will bring

00:13showers and storms, setting us up for a really chilly weekend ahead.

00:19But we'll start off by looking at tomorrow's maximum temperatures, and it really highlights

00:24just how hot we're expecting it to get across South Australia, with widespread maximum

00:29temperatures in excess of 40 degrees, including a forecast maximum of 48 degrees at Unadatta

00:36and 42 degrees in Adelaide.

00:39This is going to be on the back of a really hot night tonight, with the temperatures hovering

00:43around 30 degrees for much of the night.

00:47Tomorrow will be hot across Victoria and Tasmania as well, a maximum of 35 degrees for Melbourne,

00:53and tomorrow night is going to be particularly hot for Victoria, including Melbourne, with

00:58the potential for February minimum records to be broken.

01:02As we move into Thursday, however, those peak heat really shifts into western parts of New

01:08South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and just noticing significantly cooler across large

01:14parts of South Australia, and that's in the wake of that cold front that I'll go into

01:18more detail in a minute.

01:20But for Melbourne, a real scorcher, forecasting 38 degrees, with the cold front moving through

01:26the metro area during the afternoon, and 32 degrees for Hobart.

01:32Now the heatwave forecast for the next few days indicates low to severe heatwave conditions

01:37across large parts, and then building across parts of Tasmania before the heat really starts

01:44to get pushed away by that cold front and the much cooler air mass.

01:49So let's take a look at that cold front.

01:52Here we can see it moving across South Australia tomorrow.

01:57It's got very hot and gusty, dry northerly winds ahead of it, which will be elevating

02:02the fire dangers, and there's also the potential for raised dust, particularly in the northwesterly

02:07winds.

02:08We've got showers and storms both on and behind the change, but very little rainfall is expected.

02:14In fact, dry lightning may occur, which poses a fire risk as it may ignite fire on the ground.

02:21Also just noticing these gusty southwesterly winds behind it, bringing a few showers about

02:26the coastal areas as well.

02:29Now as we move into Thursday, those gusty northerly winds will move into Victoria and

02:38Tasmania, really elevating the fire danger there.

02:42Now the cold front will also collide with a lot of moisture in the atmosphere, and there

02:47is the potential for showers and storms, with heavy rainfall through central and eastern

02:54districts of Victoria developing during the afternoon and the evening.

03:00And then on Friday, those showers and storms are focused to move into eastern parts of

03:05Victoria and eastern parts of New South Wales, with again a severe thunderstorm risk, bringing

03:11heavy rainfall or damaging winds through those areas.

03:17Fire dangers for tomorrow, reaching extreme across southern parts of South Australia,

03:21including the Mount Lofty Ranges.

03:24And as we move into Thursday, those peak fire danger ratings will shift into Victoria and

03:30Tasmania, reaching extreme through central parts of Victoria.

03:36So we've got a really hot few days ahead, with a strong cold front behind it, and heading

03:41towards a very chilly weekend where we may even see a dusting of snow about alpine areas

03:47of Victoria and New South Wales.

03:49But if you live across those areas, it's important that you stay up to date with the latest forecasts

03:54and warnings via the Bureau's website, the app and social media.

03:57Otherwise, listen to all the advice from your local emergency services.

04:01We'll see you again next time.

04:02Bye for now.

Category

Transcript

Recommended