Overview
- Severe to extreme heatwave warnings are active from Wednesday to Saturday across a vast span of Australia stretching from Western Australia’s north-west to Tasmania’s north-east.
- Forecasters expect multiple consecutive days in the mid-40s in inland South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, with Port Augusta forecast up to 47C on Thursday and Murray River towns such as Mildura and Echuca reaching 44–45C.
- Adelaide and Melbourne are set to hit about 42C on Wednesday, with heat shifting east later in the week as Canberra approaches the high 30s to near 39C and Sydney is forecast to reach 39C on Saturday.
- Total fire bans are in force in Victoria’s Central, Wimmera and South West regions and across most South Australian districts on Wednesday, with SA deploying additional firefighting aircraft and authorities urging residents to activate bushfire plans.
- Authorities flag Friday as the main danger day due to gusty winds and dry lightning, with a stronger cool change due Saturday for southern areas, unusually warm nights raising health and grid risks, and a Coral Sea tropical low holding a moderate chance of developing into a cyclone by the weekend.