Australia’s summer may have technically ended two weeks ago, but temperatures are tipped to reach a scorching 40C in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide on Saturday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued heatwave alerts for NSW, Victoria and SA with the hot weather to hit Adelaide first – where the northern suburb of Elizabeth will break the 40C mark – and then move east.
The heat is being caused by warm and dry northwesterly winds combined with a high pressure system off the south coast, with conditions hot but, thankfully, not humid.
‘There is a string of hot days ahead with Saturday to be the hottest,’ bureau senior meteorologist Angus Hines said.
The autumn blast of heat will see the highest temperatures inland with Griffith and Broken Hill in NSW, Horsham and Mildura in Victoria and Roxby Downs in SA nearing 40C, though the capitals, particularly Adelaide and Sydney’s west will also swelter.
Melbourne will be in the high 30s on Saturday which will make for a searing afternoon for spectators at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix qualifying, though it should cool down on Sunday for the race itself.
While the Geelong and Fremantle AFL clash in Geelong on Saturday could see temperatures exceed 36C, which triggers the AFL’s heat policy that allows games to be postponed.
Across the rest of the country, there will be cooler temperatures and light rain in Queensland, WA and in the Northern Territory, where wet season is still in full swing.
An autumn blast of heat will be focused on Australia’s southern interior on Saturday (pictured) with Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney all in for sweltering temperatures
Melburnians will get ideal beach weather on the weekend (pictured is St Kilda)
Sydney
Thursday
Max 29 Sunny. Chance of any rain: 5 per cent.
Mostly sunny day. Patchy morning fog in the outer west. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the late evening.
Friday
Min 20 Max 31 Sunny. Chance of any rain: 5 per cent
Mostly sunny. The chance of fog in the west in the early morning. Light winds becoming east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the late afternoon then becoming light in the evening.
Saturday
Min 21 Max 32 Partly cloudy. Chance of any rain: 5 per cent
Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the afternoon then becoming light during the evening.
Sunday
Min 23 Max 35 Chance of any rain: 10 per cent
Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a heatwave warning for large swathes of NSW and SA
Brisbane
Thursday
Max 29 Possible shower. Chance of any rain: 40 per cent
Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers in the morning and afternoon. Light winds.
Friday
Min 20 Max 29 Possible shower. Possible rainfall: 0 to 1mm. Chance of any rain: 40 per cent
Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Light winds becoming east to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the morning then becoming light in the late evening.
Saturday
Min 20 Max 29 Partly cloudy. Possible rainfall: 0 to 1mm. Chance of any rain: 30 per cent.
Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower, most likely in the morning. Light winds becoming southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then tending easterly during the day.
Sunday
Min 20 Max 29 Partly cloudy. Possible rainfall: 0 to 1mm. Chance of any rain: 30 per cent.
Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Light winds.
Melbourne
Thursday
Max 25 Cloudy. Chance of any rain: 20 per cent
Cloudy. Light winds becoming southerly 15 to 20 km/h in the late afternoon then becoming light in the evening.
The F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne will bake for the qualifying on Saturday but temperatures will cool slightly for the race in Sunday
Melbourne will see the mercury peak in the high 30s on Saturday over much of the city
Friday
Min 15 Max 27 Partly cloudy. Chance of any rain: 5 per cent
Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming southeast to southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the evening.
Saturday
Min 16 Max 35 Partly cloudy. Chance of any rain: 10 per cent
Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning then tending north to northwesterly 20 to 30 km/h during the afternoon.
Sunday
Min 23 Max 27 Showers. Possible rainfall 5 to 20mm. Chance of any rain: 95 per cent
Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the late morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds north to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h shifting southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h during the afternoon.
Canberra
Thursday
Max 31 Morning fog then mostly sunny. Chance of any rain: 20 per cent
Mostly sunny. Patchy morning fog. Slight chance of a shower in the afternoon and early evening. Light winds.
Friday
Min 13 Max 33 Partly cloudy. Chance of any rain: 5 per cent
The chance of fog in the early morning. Mostly sunny day. Light winds becoming westerly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the evening.
Saturday
Min 14 Max 35 Partly cloudy. Chance of any rain: 5 per cent
Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming west to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening.
Sunday
Min 17 Max 33 Possible shower developing. Possible rainfall 0 to 1mm. Chance of any rain: 40 per cent
Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers in the afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening.
Adelaide
Thursday
Max 33 Sunny. Chance of any rain: 0 per cent
Sunny. Winds east to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h tending northwest to southwesterly in the early afternoon then tending east to southeasterly in the evening.
Friday
Min 18 Max 35 Sunny. Chance of any rain: 0 per cent
Sunny. Light winds becoming southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then shifting east to southeasterly in the evening.
Saturday
Min 23 Max 38 Partly cloudy. Chance of any rain: 10 per cent
Mostly sunny morning. Slight chance of a shower in the evening. Winds east to northeasterly 20 to 30 km/h tending west to northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h during the day then tending south to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the evening.
Sunday
Min 21 Max 26 Showers easing. Possible rainfall: 0 to 5mm. Chance of any rain 80 per cent.
Cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Winds southwesterly 20 to 30 km/h turning southerly 25 to 40 km/h during the afternoon then decreasing to 20 to 25 km/h during the evening.
Perth
Thursday
Max 26 Showers. Possible storm. Chance of any rain: 90 per cent
Cloudy. Very high chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe, with damaging winds and possible heavy falls in the east. Light winds becoming west to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the evening.
Over in WA Perth (pictured) will avoid the most intense heat and will see showers on Thursday and Friday clearing for the weekend
Friday
Min 16 Max 25 Possible shower. Possible rainfall: 0 to 1 mm Chance of any rain: 40 per cent
The chance of morning fog about the northern suburbs. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Mostly sunny afternoon. Light winds becoming north to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h early in the morning then tending northwest to southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h in the morning.
Saturday
Min 16 Max 28 Mostly sunny. Chance of any rain: 10 per cent
The chance of morning fog. Sunny afternoon. Light winds becoming southerly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then tending southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the afternoon.
Sunday
Min 16 Max 29 Sunny. Chance of any rain: 0 per cent
Mostly sunny. Winds southeasterly 20 to 30 km/h turning easterly 30 to 45 km/h during the morning.
Hobart
Thursday
Max 25 Partly cloudy. Chance of any rain: 10 per cent.
Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the middle of the day then tending northeast to southeasterly in the evening.
Friday
Min 14 Max 25 Shower or two. Possible rainfall: 0 to 1 mm Chance of any rain: 50 per cent
Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the morning and early afternoon. Light winds becoming west to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the morning.
Saturday
Min 15 Max 28 Shower or two. Possible rainfall: 0 to 4 mm Chance of any rain: 70 per cent
Cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.
Sunday
Min 18 Max 23 Showers. Possible rainfall 1 to 8mm. Chance of any rain: 90 per cent
Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Winds northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h tending westerly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning.
Darwin
Thursday
Max 33 Shower or two. Possible storm. Possible rainfall: 1 to 15 mm Chance of any rain: 70 per cent
Partly cloudy. High chance of showers or a thunderstorm, most likely during this afternoon and evening. Light winds.
Friday
Min 25 Max 32 Showers. Possible storm. Possible rainfall: 1 to 20 mm Chance of any rain: 80 per cent
Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds.
Saturday
Min 25 Max 34 Shower or two. Possible storm. Possible rainfall: 0 to 10 mm Chance of any rain: 70 per cent
Partly cloudy. High chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds.
Sunday
Min 24 Max 33 Shower or two. Possible rainfall 0 to 10mm. Chance of any rain 70 per cent.
Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds.
