Near-record heat is forecast to hit northwestern Australia this weekend, with temperatures possibly approaching 50ºC in some parts of the west Pilbara district in WA.

A break in the monsoon is allowing an intensely hot air mass to build up over northwestern Australia this week.

Image: Visible satellite image showing clear skies over the northwest of WA on Wednesday afternoon.

On Monday, the temperature at Learmonth Airport soared to 46.1ºC, setting a new mark for the highest temperature anywhere on Earth so far in February 2023.

This title may be short-lived though, with another round of temperatures in excess of 45ºC likely in the west Pilbara later this week.

Some forecast models suggest that temperatures could reach around 46 to 48ºC in parts of the Pilbara on Friday or Saturday, possibly nudging 50ºC in some areas.

Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Saturday, February 18, 2023, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

If a temperature of 50ºC is observed at an official weather station later this week, it will be only the second time this has happened in Australia during February. The other instance was 50.5ºC at Mardie on February 19, 1998.