Spring heatwave for eastern Australia ‘a heads-up’ of what’s to come, meteorologists say

The BoM expects in the coming week Melbourne’s maximum temperatures will near 10C above the average for September and Sydney will have multiple days of 30C or hotter. Photograph: Reuters

Eastern Australia’s first big heatwave of spring will send temperatures soaring 12C or more above average in regions including Sydney by early next week as a weather pattern more typical of mid-summer takes hold.

“A deep, deep column of warm air” has built up over Australia, Karl Braganza, national manager of climate services at the Bureau of Meteorology, said. “You typically see that occurring in January.”