A heatwave sweeping across Queensland this weekend will bring scorching temperatures across the state while several states brace for storms later today.
Temperatures are expected to surge well into the forties for parts of Queensland today as the state swleters through one of its hottest seasons on record.
Charleville, in central Queensland, has reached a five-day average maximum of 43C becoming the hottest this early in the season in more than 100 years.
A broad trough ahead of a strong front will generate showers and storms over Victoria, Tasmania, NSW, southern South Australia and central Australia, and cause powerful winds.
Low pressure across the tropics will trigger thundery showers, while northwesterly winds will bring a hot day to southeast Queensland.
Here’s your state-by-state forecast for Saturday, December 5, 2020:
A slight to medium chance of showers and thunderstorms about the western Peninsula, southwest, and southern inland districts. A slight chance of showers about the tropical northeast coast. A risk of severe thunderstorms in the southern interior.
Hot to very hot conditions in the west, southwest, and southern districts. Highs of 36C forecast for Rockhampton and Gympie, with a top of 33C in Brisbane.
Possible raised dust in the far southwest, mostly sunny elsewhere. Light to moderate northwest to northeast winds, tending fresh to strong and gusty in the southwest. Winds turning south to southwest in the far southwest behind a trough in the late afternoon.
Fire Danger – Severe in the Channel Country District, Very High in the Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, Central Highlands and Coalfields, Maranoa and Warrego, Darling Downs and Granite Belt, and the Wide Bay and Burnett Districts.
New South Wales and the ACT
A few showers and thunderstorms about central and eastern parts of the state, more likely about the western slopes of the ranges, with some storms possibly severe. The chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the far north and far west.
Mostly cloudy. Possible raised dust in the far west. Daytime temperatures above average, mostly notably in the north, where the mercury in Bourke will hit 42C. Cooler on the coast with highs of 27C in Sydney, 25C in Woollongong.
Northwest to northeasterly winds, freshening along the coast and in the western plains during the afternoon. A southwesterly change entering in the southwest later.
Fire Danger – Very High: North Western, Lower Central Western Plains, and Eastern/Northern/Southern Riverina Fire districts.
Showers extending from the west during the day, more frequent about southern and mountain areas during the afternoon and evening. Isolated thunderstorms from around midday about western, southern and mountain areas, contracting east and clearing at night.
A warm and mostly cloudy day with tops of 28C in Melbourne and 29C in Bendigo.
Fresh to strong and gusty northerly winds, tending cooler, strong and squally westerly from the west during the afternoon and evening. Areas of raised dust in the northwest during the afternoon.
Fire Danger – Severe in the Wimmera and Mallee, Very High in North Country and High elsewhere.
Showers extending statewide during the morning, mostly light, then increasing to rain during the afternoon and evening.
Top temperatures of 23C in Hobart, while Mount Read will only just reach double digits with highs of 10C forecast and overnight lows of 3C.
Northerly winds tending fresh and gusty from late morning then shifting strong and gusty west to northwesterly late evening.
A medium to high high chance of showers extending across the agricultural area and south of the North West Pastoral, increasing to a high to very high chance about the ranges and the South East districts. A slight to medium chance of showers over most of the remainder of the State. Showers will tend to rain over parts of the northern agricultural area and south of the North West Pastoral district.
Thunderstorms are possible over most districts, with gusty winds. Areas of raised dust about the North East Pastoral and Riverland districts and parts of the North West Pastoral, Flinders, Mid North and Murraylands.
Mild to warm in the south grading to very hot in far northeast, where the mercury will hit 38C in Oodnadatta and a top of 28C in Adelaide.
Moderate to fresh northerly winds, turning fresh to strong northwesterly in the east late morning, ahead of a cooler, fresh to strong and gusty west to southwesterly change in the west, extending to the far northeast corner late evening.
Showers and thunderstorms over the Kimberley, central and eastern Pilbara, and the northern and eastern Interior.
Top temperatures of 44C in Eyre, 38C in Meekaratha but much cooler on the coast with highs of 24C in Perth and 22C in Bunbury.
A high to very high chance of showers and thunderstorms across the northern Top End. Partly cloudy in the Barkly and Carpentaria Districts. A slight to medium chance of showers and thunderstorms elsewhere. Thunderstorms will be gusty in southern districts.
Very hot across southern and central districts.
Light to moderate northeast winds across the Top End, tending northwesterly south of the Top End, fresh and gusty in the Simpson District. A moderate to fresh and gusty southerly change will develop across the Lasseter District during the early morning then extend to the Simpson District by the afternoon.
Fire Danger – Very high in the Simpson District.
– Reported with Weatherzone and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology
