Key Points
- Sydney Airport reached 31.5C at 1.55pm to record its hottest August day.
- Brisbane could get close to its hottest recorded August temperature of 35.4C on Saturday.
- The warm weather trend is expected to continue into spring.
It may still be winter but warmer weather in Sydney has resulted in a new heat record for the city.
Temperatures in Brisbane are also expected to be higher than normal on Saturday, with the possibility of another record being pipped.
Hot August days
The Bureau of Meteorology’s (BoM) Sydney Airport site recorded a temperature of 31.5C at 1.55pm on Friday — an August record.
Jonathan How from the BoM said the previous highest temperature recorded at that site had been 31.1C in 1954.
He said the heat would peak across southeast Queensland tomorrow, where a maximum of 35C was forecast.
“That could challenge the current August record for Brisbane,” he said.
The highest recorded August temperature for the Queensland capital sits at 35.4 degrees.
“So we certainly could see that exceeded, and some of the western suburbs of Brisbane will reach up into 36-degree territory tomorrow,” he said.
The temperature in Brisbane on Saturday is expected to feel more like late spring or early summer than the end of winter. Source: Getty / Peter Unger
What to expect in spring
The warm weather trend is expected to continue into spring.
BoM senior climatologist Dr Lynette Bettio said the bureau’s long-range forecast for spring forecasts warmer than average spring days and nights across most of Australia.
“However, in southern areas, there could still be a risk of frost,” she said.
There’s also an increased chance of unusually high rainfall in parts of the east.
“The first significant rains of the northern Australian wet season are likely to be later than usual for the west and earlier than usual for most of Queensland and parts of the Northern Territory,” she said.
Goodbye winter
The month is not over but Australia is on track to record its warmest August yet and one of its warmest winters.
“Winter, days and nights were across Australia, despite some at times,” Bettio said.
She said August was “tracking around three degrees above average across most of Australia”.
While winter was drier than usual for the southeast, other parts of the country experienced a notably wet past month.
“August was notably wet in the southwest, with overall rainfall 36 per cent above its monthly average, helping to ease recent dry conditions in the region,” she said.
It was also the wettest August on record for parts of Queensland’s southern and central coast.
Hot weather — a bushfire reminder
How said strong winds were expected across Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and NSW across the weekend.
How said the wind combined with the heat in Sydney meant there was a high fire danger in Sydney and Illawarra.
“We’re expecting high fire dangers all the way through to Monday, and what that means is that if a fire does start, it can pose a heightened risk to life and property.
“People should keep an eye on and make sure they are aware of the surroundings.”
As the warmer months approach, the risk of heatwaves and bushfires increases, and the BoM is urging people to prepare and review bushfire and emergency plans.
