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Perth could break records in late spring heatwave

Anthony Sharwood, Monday November 20, 2023 - 17:16 AEDT

There's nothing too unusual about a burst of heat for Perth and nearby areas with summer almost upon us, but this week's heat will be intense by November standards.

On Monday afternoon, the BoM issued heatwave warnings for numerous WA forecast regions, with a three-day heatwave warning in effect in a broad strip in the state's west, from the southern Pilbara all the way down though Perth to Cape Leeuwin in the far southwest.

The map below tells the tale.

As you can see, large parts of the regions just mentioned will see a severe heatwave (orange), while there is even an area of extreme heatwave (red) not too far north of Perth.

You can visualise the cause of the heat illustrated in simple terms on Tuesday's synoptic chart, with hot winds from the state's northern interior being funnelled towards the west coast as air circulates around that large high centred over the ocean south of WA.

In terms of actual temperatures, Perth could challenge both its record minimum (25.1°C) and record maximum (40.4°C) with Wednesday looking like the hottest day, and Thursday the hottest morning. We'll keep you posted on that.

Temps could even climb to 44°C or 45°C in parts of the Central West district. That's the forecast region north of the Lower West district (where Perth is located) and it's the area where the bulk of the red blob is on the heatwave map.

As ever please check our warnings page for the latest info on severe heatwaves and other dangerous weather.

- Weatherzone

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