Millions of Australians are in for a scorching weekend as a heatwave sweeps across large swathes of the country.
The temperature will soar in the south and east in the lead up to Australia Day, with Adelaide hitting 41C on Sunday and parts of Sydney’s west reaching a blistering 43C.
A heatwave is forecast for all of South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory over the weekend.
Parts of every other state and territory will not be spared from the sizzling temperatures, as thousands of Australians take advantage of the Tuesday public holiday to enjoy a four-day weekend.
Sydneysiders will be flocking to the beach, including at Bondi (pictured), in droves over the weekend as the city swelters under heatwave conditions
Sydney will experience four consecutive days of temperatures of 30C and above starting from Friday, with the city’s west reaching as high as 43C on Monday. Pictured, Bondi Beach
On Saturday, ‘extreme’ heatwave conditions are forecast for parts of the nation’s most populous areas.
‘Severe heatwave conditions are forecast broadly over most of Victoria, the southern half of NSW, eastern SA and northeast and northwestern Tasmania,’ the Bureau of Meteorology said.
‘An area of extreme heatwave is forecast at the Victoria/NSW border extending to just south of Sydney.’
The nation’s capital, Canberra, will hit 37C on Saturday and 38C on Sunday.
Further inland, Albury, on the NSW/Victoria border is in for 40C on Saturday, 42C on Sunday and by Monday it is expected to reach as high as 43C.
Melbourne is bracing for a high of 38C on Sunday.
The beach will be the cool place to be for Sydneysiders on the weekend as temperatures in the harbour city soar to 33C. Pictured, Bondi Beach
Areas along Australia’s east coast will experience extreme heatwave conditions from Friday, while much of the rest of the country will be under severe or low-intensity heatwave conditions
Sydney will experience a weekend of temperatures in the low to mid 30s.
Saturday will be 30C in the harbour city, on Sunday the temperature will get to 33C and on Monday it will soar to 34C.
Penrith, in the city’s west, will be even hotter, with temperatures expected to hit 37C on Saturday, 42C on Sunday and 43C on Monday.
The heat follows periods of cloudy weather and showers.
‘Thursday onwards we are seeing a gradual return of northerly to northwesterly winds transporting warm air to Sydney and (mostly) sunny forecasts, pushing up the maximum temperatures,’ the Bureau’s Meteorologist Melody Sturm told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Friday there is a slight chance of a shower or a thunderstorm. The (long) weekend is expected to be very warm to hot and mostly sunny, although a chance of a shower could return for Monday.
‘With the heat we will be seeing severe heatwave conditions for Sydney this weekend.’
While the water will be the cool place to be over the weekend, beachgoers are being reminded to stay Covid safe and follow the directions of lifeguards.
Beachgoers are being reminded to stay Covid safe and swim between the flags. Pictured, Mona Vale on Sydney’s Northern Beaches
Adelaide’s Glenelg Beach (pictured) will be a popular place to be for residents with the South Australian capital set to swelter on Sunday with 41C forecast
‘If you’re planning on heading down… please remember to stay one towel length apart from other beachgoers, and don’t forget to swim between the flags,’ Waverley Council, which takes in Bondi Beach, said.
Meanwhile, Victorian fire authorities are bracing for a weekend of severe fire danger through northern parts of the state.
With the temperature forecast to climb into the 40s in some areas, Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp has warned Victorians to make sure their bushfire preparations are up-to-date.
He said Mildura will start to warm up on Thursday, while Sunday and Monday are set to be spike days.
‘It will be a challenging weekend for us,’ he said.
‘There is every chance we will see total fire bans for Sunday and Monday… with fire danger ratings, particularly up in the north of the state, around “severe”.’