Millions are sweltering through Western Australia hottest February on record, with five days of temperatures above 40 degrees in Perth and likely more to come.
“We’ve had an unusual situation where the west coast trough … has stayed offshore and rather than move in for an extended period of time bringing southerly and westerly winds off the ocean, it’s rather stalled and reformed off the west coast quite quickly,” a weather bureau spokesperson said.
The state has already sweltered through a record-breaking six days above 40 degrees this year so far, and it has climate experts concerned.
“It is part of the warming climate, we’ve seen 1.5 degrees of warming,” Dr Simon Bradshaw from the Climate Council said.
“Last year was the hottest year for the globe by a considerable margin and there’s early signs that 2024 could be even hotter.
“That does mean we’ve got to get used to worsening extreme heat.”
As a result of scorching temperatures, horse race meetings in Perth were cancelled today while Esperance will postpone racing due to tomorrow’s forecast.
Hospitals are also bracing for an influx of heat-related illnesses.
“It is another hot day, and we are expecting a high level of presentations and calls to triple zero,” said Health Minister Amber Jade.
“So I urge people to look after themselves, stay cool and reach out to their vulnerable relatives.”
A heatwave warning remained in place tonight for Perth and most of the state with conditions set to linger into next week.
Other parts of Western Australia are set to reach oppressive temperatures over the coming days, with some areas to reach more than 50 degrees.
Easterly winds will bring high temperatures to the western Gascoyne and Pilbara regions at the weekend due to a west coast trough, according to Weatherzone.
The heat is expected to linger for several days with the peak expected on Sunday as the trough moves westward, bringing intense inland heat closer to the coastal low-lying areas.
(9 news)
