Parts of Australia to soar over 50 degrees this weekend

National weather forecast for Friday February 16

A searing heat mass will see temperatures soar in northwestern Australia this weekend, with the thermostat forecast to climb past 50 degrees in some coastal towns.

The hottest areas will be the western parts of the Gascoyne and Pilbara districts, thanks to a west coast trough combining with easterly winds, which will bring hot air from central Australia.

It comes as Western Australia continues to swelter through the hottest February on record, with Perth already experiencing five days above 40 degrees this week.

Today will see some relief with forecast tops of 30 degrees in Perth before temperatures climb again from tomorrow.

The heatwave is expected to last several days but the hottest temperatures will be seen on Sunday.

Both European and Australian forecast models are predicting temperatures above 50 degrees just inland from the Gascoyne coast, which would be among the highest ever experienced in Australia.

Australia’s highest official temperature on record is 50.7 degrees which occurred in Onslow on January 13, 2022, and Oodnadatta on January 2, 1960.

However, the day’s peak heat is unlikely to be officially recorded due to the sparse network of automatic weather stations in the region.

Carnarvon’s weather station is located too close to the coast to be exposed to the intense heat that will be felt a few kilometres further inland.

Gascoyne Junction’s weather station is much further inland, but at 144 metres elevation, it will be too high to experience the day’s hottest weather.