Just when we thought we were about to make it through an entire summer without a sweaty run of consecutive hot days, the weather gods decided to send a blast of scorching conditions to sweep the state.
On Wednesday, February 15, the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting temperatures in metro Melbourne will reach the 31-degree mark, before heating up to 35 degrees on both Thursday, February 16, and Friday, February 17. For those in northern Victoria, it’s going to be even hotter, with temperatures to hit 40 degrees by Thursday and Friday and remain in the mid-30s until early next week.
Victorians aren’t the only ones bracing for extreme conditions. A nationwide heatwave is spreading right across the country, with residents in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania being told to prepare for surging temperatures, blistering heat and even bushfires.
So what’s causing this late-summer hot spell? According to BOM spokesperson Miriam Bradbury, a “severe, low-intensity heatwave” is moving across from Western Australia to batter down on eastern states.
“Because the heat is being driven across the country from the west all the way over to the east, it is going to extend over quite a large area: so parts of eastern South Australia, as well as parts of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.”
A cool change should bring some reprieve from the heat by Saturday, February 18, with temperatures only expected to reach a much more bearable top of 22 degrees. Until then, remember to stay hydrated, keep indoors where possible and if you do need to venture out, be sure to slip, slop and slap.