Sweltering Weekend Heat for Perth, Southwest Australia

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

February 6,2015; 10:11PM,EST

 

Fire and smoke blown into the Northcliffe area. (Photo/DFES of Western Australia)

Heat will shift across the country, bringing another wave of hot air into southwestern Australia and threatening to promote more fire dangers.
Heat started building in southeastern Australia on Saturday, allowing temperatures to soar in Melbourne. Although normal temperatures for this time of the summer are near 25 Celsius (78 Fahrenheit), highs will rise about 10 C above average to the mid-30s C (near 95 F).
The extreme heat for the second half of the weekend will shift westward, allowing more refreshing temperatures to return to southern Victoria.
The dry weather across Western Australia has already allowed fires to spark quickly. A fire in the town of Northcliffe, south of Perth, caused residents to evacuate earlier this week.
The heat in Western Australia will swell through the weekend, with temperatures topping in the upper 30s C (near 100 F) in and around Perth.
Normal temperatures in Perth for this time of the year are near 30 C (upper 80s F).
This consistent sunshine and temperatures way above average could spell even more fire danger for the region.
Firefighters fight the blazing fire near Northcliffe on Wednesday, Feb. 3. (Photo/Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services)
The Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services late on Friday night urged people in the area to exercise caution, saying "The bushfire is not yet controlled."
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Gusty winds as high as 35 kph (near 20 mph) through Saturday could cause the fire to spread and any other sparks to catch quickly.
Winds will begin to subside slowly late Sunday, with less extreme temperatures to move in Monday. In southwestern Australia, highs will return to the low 30s C (low 90s F).