Temperatures forecast to reach mid-40s as heatwave hits northern Australia

Marble Bar in WA recorded the first 45C day of the season over the weekend, as a heatwave spreads across northern Australia. Photograph: Sean Gladwell/Getty Images

Temperatures are expected to soar across northern Australia over the coming days as a heatwave spreads across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said hot air was building over the north-west of the continent and moving east, driving temperatures in some areas as high as 5C to 6C above average.