A severe heatwave is impacting New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia, with temperatures in northern Western Australia nearing 50°C. The gold-mining town of Kalgoorlie remains without power following a rare super-cell storm.
Residents across the affected states are under heat warnings as temperatures climb. In Paraburdoo, a small town 1,500 km north of Perth, temperatures were forecast to reach 48°C on Sunday, following a high of 47.9°C the previous day.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported temperatures had already hit 45.8°C by noon.
Dean Narramore from BoM indicated that the Pilbara region in WA might experience severe to extreme heatwave conditions, with temperatures possibly hitting 50°C, though it’s uncertain if this will be recorded officially.
Kalgoorlie faces ongoing power outages and extreme temperatures after a storm damages transmission lines.Sydney experienced its hottest day of the year, with temperatures surpassing 37°C in several areas, and the Holsworthy airbase recording 38.5°C by 3 pm.
Sydney was expected to reach 40°C in western suburbs before a cool change from the south was predicted to lower temperatures by Monday.
In South Australia, temperatures in parts of north and northwest surpassed 40°C, with Marree airport reporting 42.6°C.
South-east Queensland is anticipated to see temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s in the coming days, prompting warnings for residents to check on vulnerable individuals, including the elderly, young children, and pregnant women.
In Kalgoorlie, 3,800 residents continue to face power outages caused by a storm that damaged transmission lines earlier in the week.
Despite efforts by Western Power, outages persisted for Kalgoorlie and surrounding areas, with backup gas generators failing to provide power. Authorities are investigating the situation as the heatwave continues.