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Showers & storms are occurring over WA's northeast, the NT, SA, QLD, and NSW. Heat is filtering into the NT, QLD and NSW. Cool winds behind a front brings the odd shower to TAS and VIC. High pressure clears showers from southwest WA.
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Today, 6:01AM UTC
NSW, WA, Qld soar to 45°C as Tas hits 30°C
It was a mid-spring scorcher out there in parts of every Australian state and territory this Wednesday afternoon, as an extremely hot airmass spread across the country. The NSW outback town of White Cliffs (population approx. 150) in the state’s northwest corner hit 45.1°C just before 4 pm AEDT. That was 1.8 degrees shy of the November state record of 46.9°C set at Smithville (a homestead near the SA border) in 2020, but it was still extremely hot for the first week of November. Queensland also passed the 45-degree mark, with the mercury reaching 45.1°C at Thargomindah in the state's southwest corner. Port Hedland in WA’s Pilbara joined the 45.1°C club just before 2pm local time, and several other locations in the Kimberley and Pilbara forecast districts could top 45°C as the afternoon progresses. South Australia couldn't quite breach the 45-degree mark, although it got warm enough at Moomba in the state's northeast with a top of 44.5°C. It’s likely that the Northern Territory also saw temperatures approaching or even exceeding 45 degrees, however there are no official weather stations in the state’s southeast corner, where the hottest air was located. Victoria didn’t quite reach 40°C but it got close with a maximum of 39.3°C at Swan Hill, while Melbourne had its hottest day since March 11 with a top of 32.8°C before a late afternoon southerly change knocked off more than 10 degrees in under an hour. Tasmania had its first 30-degree day of the spring, with temps just climbing above 30°C at two weather stations in the Hobart area, while Hobart itself reached 29.7°C. Image: It was a sweaty one in Thargomindah this Wednesday: Source: iStock. Meanwhile there were stark temperature contrasts between the northern and southern parts of at least two states. At the same time that it was 45°C at White Cliffs, it was a tick under 15°C at Thredbo Top Station – a real-time temperature gap of 30 degrees. While elevation obviously played a huge part in the difference between those two NSW stations, that wasn’t the case in Western Australia, where several sea-level Pilbara locations were hovering around 43 or 44 degrees at 1:30pm (AWST), while the South Coastal city of Albany was shivering at around 15°C. The real-time gap of close to 40 degrees between WA's northwestern and southern coastlines is explained by cool air down south in the wake of a cold front. You can see the temperature contrast on the chart below showing Wednesday’s expected max temps. Meanwhile the extreme heat in outback SA, Qld and NSW will moderate as the week progresses, but before that happens, Wednesday night and Thursday morning promise to be extremely warm in many locations. We’ve got a pretty good idea we’ll be talking to you about some remarkably high overnight minimums in our news feed on Thursday morning.
Today, 12:10AM UTC
44°C in five states with fire bans in Victoria, Queensland
An extremely hot air mass will cause temperatures to soar over a large area of Australia on Wednesday, with extreme fire danger anticipated in southwest Queensland and northwest Victoria. A broad trough of low pressure stretching across Australia is allowing a pool of late-spring heat to lie over parts of several states and territories this week, extending from the nation’s eastern interior to the north of WA. This weather pattern is causing a multi-day heatwave that’s gripping parts of Qld, NSW, the NT and WA this week. At Birdsville in Qld, the mercury climbed to 45.2°C on Tuesday afternoon and only dropped to 31.7°C on Wednesday morning. By 9:40am on Wednesday, temperatures were already exceeding 40°C in parts of southwest Qld. Image: Temperature observations at Birdsville, Qld during the 24 hours ending at 9:20am AEST on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. Temperatures are predicted to reach the mid-forties in parts of five states and territories on Wednesday, including NSW, Qld, SA, WA and the NT. Image: Forecast maximum temperatures on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. Wednesday’s hot weather will help elevate fire danger ratings in some parts of the country, with extreme fire danger ratings predicted in Qld’s Channel Country and the Mallee in Vic. Total fire bans have been issued in both regions, which is the first total fire ban of the season in Vic. Fire authorities and emergency services in several states are closely watching a number of fires that were already burning as the sun rose on Wednesday. This includes a fire near Dirranbandi in southwest Qld, where residents have evacuated from their homes in response to the fire travelling towards the town. While the heat won’t be quite as intense over Australia on Thursday, extreme fire danger ratings are expected to develop the North West fire weather district in NSW. Check state and territory fire authority websites for the latest fire warnings and fire danger ratings.
05 Nov 2024, 4:53AM UTC
Rain teases South Australia again
Almost any rain is good rain in South Australia right now, even if it's not particularly heavy or long-lasting. But recent SA rain events have also been frustrating, with a sense among locals in the state's south that every rain-bearing system of late has been a 'tease', dissipating before the landscape is properly soaked. This Tuesday, a trough crossing the south of the state is once again delivering just enough moisture to generate hope but not enough to constitute what you might call a "good soaking". Image: Rain radar near Adelaide at 12:30pm (ACDT) on Tuesday, November 5. While the radar looks quite impressive and there has even been a brief storm or two, the system has been relatively fast-moving, with rainfall totals generally falling short of 5 mm. The chart below illustrates the recent rainfall deficiencies in parts of southern SA – usually the state’s wettest region. Image: Rainfall deficiencies in SA for the first two months of spring (Sep and Oct) 2024. Source: BoM. As the chart above shows, some of the most severe recent rainfall deficiencies have been in the Eyre Peninsula (the large triangular peninsula), the Yorke Peninsula (the narrower peninsula to its east which is shaped a little like a boot) and in the Adelaide area. The rainfall graphs below show the most recent 12-month period for Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula, Edithburg on the Yorke Peninsula, and for Adelaide (in that order). Image: South Australians need to see more dark blue on these graphs. As you can see, all three locations have had below-average rainfall in virtually every month over the last year. And since June, all three locations have seen below-average rainfall in every month. As Weatherzone’s Ben Domensino reported last week, the dry spell is already biting where it hurts most. The latest crop and pasture report issued by SA's Department of Primary Industries and Regions predicts that the state's grain production in 2024/25 will be 35% below average and the lowest in six years. Meanwhile Adelaide's rainfall total of 248 mm between April 1 and October 30 (typically the wettest time of year) was its 6th-lowest total on record for the period. Some of the abnormally dry areas in SA and Victoria were also highlighted in Australia's latest seasonal bushfire outlook for their increased fire risk heading into summer. The week ahead offers no signs of significant rainfall for any part of South Australia.