Extreme fire and heatwave conditions have been forecast across large parts of the country this week.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued heatwave warnings in Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.
The BOM has forecast temperatures to reach the low forties in parts of northern and central Australia over the coming days.
In WA and South Australia, fire weather warnings and restrictions are in place.
Heatwave conditions
A heatwave is expected to bring temperatures up to the mid-forties to most of inland Qld and the state’s far north this week. The state’s central west is bracing for the most severe conditions.
Central and northern WA are also expected to reach the low forties. Conditions in central WA will ease later this week, while high temperatures are expected to continue in northern parts of the state.
Large parts of the NT are forecasted to reach the mid-thirties.
Bushfires
The BOM has issued fire weather warnings for WA and SA.
Extreme fire danger warnings are in place for WA’s South Interior and Eucla regions due to hot, dry weather and strong winds. There are high fire danger ratings across the state.
Far south-western SA is under a total fire ban amid similar conditions.
BOM
Miriam Bradbury from the BOM told TDA that “heatwaves aren’t necessarily really, really high temperatures” but are “more about persistent above-average temperatures.”
Birdsville in remote Qld will see one of Australia’s highest temperatures on Wednesday, where a high of 45°C is expected.
Bradbury said: “The hotter temperatures are very much inland.”
