Overview
- Perth recorded its hottest December 1 on record at about 39C, beating the 1979 mark of 37.4C, as a hot inland airmass surged to the coast.
- Severe heatwave warnings remain in place for the Kimberley, and other WA sites also spiked, with Geraldton hitting 42.2C and Albany Airport reaching 35.2C.
- A suspicious bushfire near Geraldton destroyed at least one home and burned roughly 130 hectares, prompting evacuations and aerial waterbombing as conditions eased from emergency to watch-and-act.
- South-eastern states endured a rare early-summer cold snap with alpine snow and decades-low daytime maxima in places; Melbourne reached only 16.1C on Monday.
- Weather services forecast the hot airmass will shift east, with parts of the NT, SA and NSW likely to exceed 40C later this week and cities including Sydney and Melbourne expected to heat up; heatwave and fire weather warnings have been issued in several jurisdictions.