Late summer burst of warmth for SE Australia after cool days and nights
Anthony Sharwood,
Tuesday February 9, 2021 - 11:12 AEDT
Warmer weather is on the cards for southeast Australia after a two-to-three day cool spell in many areas. As is typical, the warmer air will move from west to east, meaning Adelaide will warm up first, with Sydney not seeing the warmest air until the end of the working week.
Adelaide is tipped to reach 30°C today, 35°C on Wednesday and 37°C on Thursday before cooling down on Friday with a top of just 22°C. Outback SA will be much hotter, with consecutive days of 42°C expected for Oodnadatta – which holds the record for the highest temp ever recorded in Australia (50.7 in 1960).
Melbourne won't be exceptionally hot by its standards, but both Wednesday and Thursday will feel uncomfortable for locals and Australian Open tennis players alike, with tops of 31°C accompanied by humidity. The hottest place in Victoria this week is likely to be Mildura, with a top of 39°C predicted for Thursday.
Canberra is yet to record a 30 degree day this February - a strong contrast to 2020 when the month started with days of 42.7°C and 33.7°C. But temps will edge close to the 30 degree mark on Thursday with a maximum of 29°C in the wings.
Sydney should remain in the low-to-mid twenties until Friday, when maximums should reach 29°C near the coast and 33°C in the outer western suburbs.
The Thursday 2m temperature map using the ECMWF model clearly shows the heat extending east.
Meanwhile alpine areas of southeast Australia experienced a cool night last night. Your reporter happens to be on the road this week and can report a tent temperature of "pretty bloody cold" from his campsite beside the legendary Snowy River. That reading was verified by the weather station at nearby Perisher Valley, which recorded a low of just 0.1 degrees just before 6 am.
"The high pressure system is passing to the south of Tasmania today, so that has caused calm and clear conditions across much of SE Australia," Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino explains.
"We saw temps dropping overnight in the mountains due to clear skies and light winds which allows radiative cooling, which basically means heat escapes into space."
Australia's coldest ever temperature of -23°C was recorded just up the road from Perisher, at the tiny mountain village of Charlotte Pass, in June 1994. Your reporter is spending the night there tonight. Indoors, thankfully.
- Weatherzone
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2021