Updated
Adelaide has set a new heat record, smashing the previous one reached in 1939, hitting 46.2 degrees Celsius this afternoon.
Key points:
- Extreme temperatures are forecast throughout much of South Australia
- The BOM is tipping records could be broken in up to 23 locations
- The CFS has warned communities are at risk during extreme heat
Heat records began to tumble throughout South Australia earlier today.
So far, 16 locations have hit record temperatures including Adelaide Airport, Minlaton, Noarlunga, Snowtown and Port Lincoln.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is tipping more records will be surpassed this afternoon with Port Pirie hitting 40C and Adelaide reaching 35.8C by 9:00am.
Port Augusta is forecast to reach 47C, Port Pirie 44C and Adelaide 45C.
Meteorologist Hilary Wilson said South Australians had already endured an uncomfortable night.
“We haven’t broken any minimum temperature records but it was certainly a very warm night,” Ms Wilson said.
“The warmest place in the state was Port Augusta which only got down to 32.2C just after 1:00am.
“Adelaide was not far behind that at all, so 31.1C just after 1:00am this morning as well.
“For most of the night we saw temperatures hovering around 32C or 33C in the city — so certainly a warm and uncomfortable night for most parts of South Australia.”
Temperature records set to tumble
The BOM said up to 23 locations in South Australia could break record high temperatures today, including Mount Barker, Clare and Maitland.
“Certainty [I] wouldn’t be surprised to see a few records broken during the day today,” Ms Wilson said.
Records broken at:
- Adelaide Airport
- Clare
- Edinburgh
- Hindmarsh Island
- Kuitpo
- Marree
- Minlaton
- Minnipa
- Noarlunga
- Parafield
- Port Lincoln
- Port Pirie
- Roseworthy
- Snowtown
- Stenhouse Bay
The Yorke Peninsula town of Minlaton was the first town to beat its previous record of 45.6C.
A temperature of 45.7C was measured by the BOM at 11:14am.
Adelaide’s previous maximum temperature of 46.1C was set in 1939, just above the original 45C Thursday forecast.
She said the temperature would peak in the afternoon with a wind change expected to reach Adelaide about midnight.
Ms Wilson said little rain was expected with the change.
SA Health said 44 people had presented to hospital emergency departments with heat-related illnesses in the past 24 hours.
It said 12 people were admitted for further treatment.
The heatwave has also prompted fire bans in 13 districts.
Yesterday, SA Country Fire Services (CFS) state duty commander Yvette Dowling warned communities were at risk in the extreme heat.
“If a fire does start with these forecast weather conditions we’re not going to be able to control that fire,” she said.
“The communities are at risk, our firefighters are at risk, all emergency services are at risk.”
Adelaide Metro have said that due to the extreme heat it will run trams “at [a] reduced frequency” between the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, west of the CBD, and the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
Baking in the heat
Rose and Patrick Wynne, from Echunga in the Adelaide Hills, will attempt their second batch of sun-baked peanut cookies today after baking a batch in yesterday’s 40C heat.
Mrs Wynne said the couple were intrigued by stories about people cooking things in their cars and outside in the heat and used an old tabletop oven with a microwave plate.
“We put it out about 12:00pm and I left it until 4:00pm and they just slowly baked. They were perfect. They snapped crisply and were perfectly done,” Mrs Wynne said.
“They weren’t like soft or mushie. They were just perfect.
“They were probably done earlier than that [but] we left them out to make sure. They didn’t go brown on top, it is not an intense heat.”
She estimated the temperature in the box was between 80C and 100C.
“We heard about it before, people baking cookies in their cars and all that sort of thing,” she said.
“We’re a bit… power saving nuts anyway so we thought we might try it.
“You don’t get a hot kitchen and [you get] cookies at the end of the day.”
‘Incredibly high’ temperatures overnight for Victoria
BOM Victoria’s Richard Russell said temperatures in parts of the state were going to be “nothing short of oppressive”, particularly in northern Victoria where it is expected to reach the mid-40s.
Mildura is forecast to reach 44C, Bendigo 41C, Wangaratta 41C, Warrnambool 39C and Melbourne 36C.
“We’ll see those conditions spread across most of the state for Friday [with] incredibly high minimum temperatures on Thursday night… in Melbourne we expect the minimum temperature to only get down to 29C, much of the state will barely dip below 30C during that period,” he said.
“Melbourne’s all-time overnight record is 30.6C, so it’s getting pretty close.”
The heat is proving harder for some, with about 2,700 houses in the central Victorian towns of Nagambie and Avenel left to battle an anticipated maximum of 41C with a power blackout.
AusNet said a fault with an underground powerline would take several hours to repair, with power expected to be connected by late afternoon.
The power outage has caused the closure of the public pools in Nagambie and Avenel, and the local council has set up a relief centre to help people escape the heat.
The power company said crews were working to install a generator in Nagambie, but it is expected to only service 400 customers.
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