Summer weather should return to most of Australia’s east coast this weekend, with sunny skies expected across New South Wales after days of thunder and storms.
Every major city in Australia is forecast to reach at least 25C over the weekend, with Adelaide and Hobart the only cities where the temperature is expected to remain below 30C.
Meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, Miriam Bradbury, said a synoptic pattern was dragging hot air down from the north that would bring hot weather to eastern NSW over the weekend, sparking a low-intensity heatwave.
“An inland trough is going to shift through New South Wales and towards the coast … tapping into that heat and moisture from north and into south-eastern Queensland,” she said.
“We’re going to see the trough moving offshore later in weekend and get a slightly milder bit of weather coming in, but it will still be fairly warm.”
Some parts of Australia are experiencing extreme heat. A severe heatwave is continuing for inland and northern parts of Western Australia, including Leinster, Meekatharra, Newman, Wiluna and Warburton, as a trough in the state’s south-west draws heat.
Maximum temperatures in the low to mid-40s are expected to persist through the weekend.
A low-intensity heatwave is in place until at least Sunday for south-east Queensland, eastern New South Wales, north-west South Australia and south-west Northern Territory, with isolated pockets in eastern Victoria and northern Tasmania.
Bradbury said temperatures in the high teens and 20s were expected, but nights would also stay warm, contributing to the heatwave.
After bursts of rain, large parts of NSW are forecast to reach at least 40C by Thursday next week, from Walgett in the north to Wentworth in the south.
Sydney’s wild weather has also eased, with maximum temperatures of 29C expected on Friday and 31C on Saturday, with blue skies to bring in the weekend.
The city is forecast to reach a maximum of 29C on Sunday with chance of a thunderstorms returning in the afternoon and evening.
It follows a week-long severe heatwave in Queensland at the beginning of February which caused power outages as a result of record-breaking energy use.
🌡️⚠️Heatwave conditions continue in eastern Qld, with a Severe Heatwave Warning current for areas south of Proserpine. Conditions will begin to ease from Sunday. https://t.co/FBmpsInT9o pic.twitter.com/oXX6Yp5iWZ
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 3, 2023
Queenslanders flocked to the air conditioner, with 10,500 megawatts of power used in a single day.
Temperatures cracked 30C by 9am last Friday and reached 34.5C, with high humidity.
Tropical cyclone Gabrielle is expected to intensify and move by Norfolk Island, east of Brisbane, over the weekend.
Severe Tropical #CycloneGabrielle is navigating its way between Australia and New Caledonia, en route to Norfolk Island this weekend and potentially New Zealand's North Island early next week. pic.twitter.com/8PJoGtjhIM
— Ben Domensino (@Ben_Domensino) February 10, 2023
According to Weatherzone, tropical cyclones can lead to heatwaves by triggering high pressure systems called “blocking highs”, which build up hot air.
