An intense burst of heat will hit Victoria this weekend and early next week, with temperatures reaching up to 45°C for the first time in four years.
Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Monday, December 16, 2024. Source: Weatherzone.
A hot continental air mass will drift over southeastern Australia from this weekend as a stream of northwesterly winds develops ahead of an approaching cold front. This air mass will bring the highest temperatures of the year to much of Vic, including Melbourne.
Current forecasts suggest the temperature in Melbourne should reach the low thirties on Sunday before soaring to 40°C on Monday. If it gets this hot, it would be Melbourne’s first 40°C day of 2024.
Image: Forecast wind and temperature at 5pm AEDT on Monday, December 16.
The heat will be even more intense in northern Vic, with computer models predicting maximums of 45°C in the Mallee on Monday. Victoria hasn’t reached 45°C since 2020.
Image: Daily forecast on the Weatherzone app for Mildura, Vic, from Friday December 13 to Wednesday December 18, 2024.
Monday’s heat will combine with a surge of northwesterly winds that should get strong enough to cause extreme to locally catastrophic fire danger ratings over central and western Vic on Monday. A blustery southwesterly change will further exacerbate the risk of dangerous fires during the afternoon and evening.
Image: Forecast fire behaviour index on Monday afternoon.
This article was originally posted on Weatherzone and has been republished here with permission.
About our Guest Author
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Ben Domensino is a Communications Meteorologist at Weatherzone.
Weatherzone, a DTN company, is Australia’s largest private weather service and was established in 1998. Their team of highly qualified meteorologists understands the effect the weather has on the day to day operations of businesses of all kinds. They also run Australia’s most popular consumer weather website and mobile app. Weatherzone provides market-leading weather insights to more than five million Australians and over 15 industries, including energy, mining, agriculture, ports, aviation, retail, insurance, broadcast media and digital media. You can find Weatherzone and Ben Domensino on LinkedIn. |
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