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October heat records broken in SA

Ben Domensino, Thursday October 24, 2019 - 15:53 AEDT

Parts of South Australia had their hottest October day in more than a century on Thursday.

Hot northerly winds ahead of an approaching cold front caused temperatures to climb more than 15 degrees above average in parts of South Australia on Thursday.

Ceduna had reached 40.4 degrees by 1pm CDT, which was 16.5 degrees above average for this time of year.

Further east, Port Lincoln had reached 40.8 degrees at 3:08pm. This was the hottest day ever recorded during October at either of Port Lincoln's two past and present weather stations, which collectively have data going back to 1892. The previous record was 38.9 degrees, which occurred in 1922 and 1933.

Mount Gambier's 34.4 degrees at 2:45pm was their highest October temperature since 35.6 degrees in 1914.

Adelaide's running maximum temperature at 3pm local time was 36.0 degrees, making this the city's hottest day in seven months.

The temperatures mentioned in this story could continue to climb in the coming hours.

Thursday's hot weather combed with dry and gusty winds to cause severe to extreme fire danger ratings in many areas, with some places experiencing periods of catastrophic fire danger.

The blustery winds were also causing areas of raised dust in northern and eastern parts of the state on Thursday afternoon, which were visible in satellite images.

Image: Enhanced infrared satellite image showing dust (pink) blowing over the northern and eastern inland of SA on Thursday afternoon, with severe thunderstorms over the state's west.

To make matters worse, severe thunderstorms were developing over western areas of South Australia on Thursday afternoon, with a warning in place for damaging winds. These storms are likely to progress over central parts of the state tonight.

Visit https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au for the latest information on fires in South Australia.

- Weatherzone

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