Melbourne’s mild summer will be blasted away this weekend when a burst of extreme heat sends temperatures soaring to 38 degrees, with NSW also in the firing line.
Weatherzone is forecasting Melbourne will reach its summer peak on Sunday while Mildura in Victoria’s north-west is heading for 43 degrees.
Only coastal towns in the state’s far south-west will avoid the February blast.
So far this summer Melbourne’s hottest days have been 34 degrees in December and 33.4 degrees in January.
NSW is also expected to swelter over the weekend and into next week, with Penrith in western Sydney expected to reach 41 degrees on Sunday.
The Riverina district could hit 42 degrees on Sunday. The lower western forecast district could top out at 44 degrees.
“The source of the hot burst is the classic set-up of northerly winds circulating around a high-pressure system centred over the Tasman Sea,” Weatherzone predicts.
“A lack of humidity with the airmass tracking towards eastern Australia is another factor behind the build-up of heat which will take place this week.”
Weatherzone said Melbourne had so far had a mild summer, with average maximums about half a degree below the long-term average, although minimums have been significantly warmer.
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Rain eases in flooded Qld
A severe weather warning has been cancelled for Queensland’s Sunshine Coast up to Bundaberg on Wednesday morning as other parts of the state’s south-east begin the clean-up.
Thousands lost power, more than 20 schools were closed, roads were cut and 39 swiftwater rescues were completed as severe weather lashed areas around Brisbane on Tuesday.
Some of the worst hit were north of Brisbane in the Moreton Bay area and the Sunshine Coast, while Lockyer Valley further west was also inundated.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said authorities had tried to assess the damage on Tuesday but crews kept getting called away for swiftwater rescues.
Dozens of homes are believed to be damaged in Bray Park alone.
There were concerns on Tuesday night for other people in the Moreton Bay area as well as the Sunshine Coast, particularly in the Caboolture River’s low-lying catchment with rain continuing.
Evacuation centres have been set up in the Moreton Bay region, where the SES responded to 100 calls for help.
Miles will outline financial assistance to be made available for flood victims on Wednesday.
“I want all Queenslanders to know wherever they are affected by these floods we will be there to make sure that they are supported through the clean-up and getting back on their feet,” he told the Seven Network.
Mother Nature may also provide some flood relief to the south-east on Wednesday, with rain expected to drift north through the Wide Bay and Burnett areas.
By Wednesday night, showers and storms are forecast for the tropical north but the south-east is expected to be dry.
“We have dry weather on the way from Wednesday onwards and that should last us through to the end of the weekend,” a bureau spokesman said.
However, heavy rain causing flooding is still lingering in the Mount Isa area in the state’s north-west due to the remnants of ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, days after it crossed the coast.
-with AAP
