A severe heatwave is gripping much of Australia, with temperatures between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius forecast across large areas as a hot north-westerly airstream pushes inland heat from Western Australia through South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.
Fire danger is expected to escalate sharply over the next 48 hours, reaching catastrophic levels in parts of Victoria and extreme levels in SA and eastern NSW.
Strong winds, very low humidity and soaring temperatures are creating what meteorologists describe as the “perfect storm” for an intense heatwave.
Temperatures have exceeded forecasts in several locations, with some regions recording highs up to 19 degrees above the January average.
Victoria recorded a high of 46.5C at Walpeup, while South Australia reached 48.2C at Wudinna — just 0.2C below the town’s all-time record. In Western Australia, Onslow reached 49C, less than two degrees short of Australia’s national temperature record.
Melbourne recorded its hottest day in six years on Wednesday, while Adelaide’s coastal areas were spared the worst due to a westerly change, despite inland regions enduring consecutive days above 45C. Sydney is forecast to experience its hottest weather in up to six years on Saturday, with temperatures expected to reach 42–43C.
In Victoria, a total fire ban is in place statewide, with authorities warning that today’s conditions are the most dangerous since the Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20. The Northern Country, North Central, Wimmera and South West regions have been issued catastrophic fire risk ratings.
Emergency warnings remain in place for a major bushfire near Longwood in central Victoria, which has burned almost 30,000 hectares and caused confirmed property losses in the town of Ruffy. Ruffy CFA captain George Noye said the town had been “severely” impacted.
“The main street looks like a bomb’s gone off, we’ve lost a school… [the] CFA shed’s still standing, so that’s our hub at the moment,” Mr Noye told ABC News. “The school, it no longer operates, but it was a community hub for us… so it’s absolutely devastating to see it go.”
Authorities have also warned of the risk posed by dry lightning and strong winds, which could spark new fires across the state. Communities have been urged to remain vigilant, monitor emergency warnings and avoid travel in fire-affected areas.
A significant southerly change is expected to bring relief to Victoria and SA late Friday, with temperatures dropping by up to 20 degrees within 24 hours. However, heatwave conditions are forecast to persist across northern Australia into next week.
Source: ABC News
