Exteme weather in Australia

'Melbourne on the Murray' as city bakes

Melbourne's heatwave has set more records as city dwellers endure temperatures more usually felt much further inland.

SMH,

11 March, 2013

The mercury touched 30 degrees late morning and peaked at 37.1 just after 4pm, exceeding the forecast high of 36. Melbourne has only posted eight consecutive days of 30 degrees or more on four occasions - in 1890, 1898, 1951 and 1961 - in records that go back to 1856. Each of the previous stints fell in January or February.

“It's a bit like Melbourne on the Murray,” said Rob Sharpe, a meteorologist with Weatherzone, noting that the city's temperatures have been closer than usual to the heat of towns along the river and in the Mallee.

“The sea breezes have generally failed or been late most days.”

The sweltering conditions are likely to last until at least Wednesday morning when a cool change is expected to reach the city. The weather bureau this afternoon lifted its forecast maximum for Melbourne on Tuesday to 37 degrees, while trimming Wednesday's to 29 degrees - potentially snapping the cycle of 30-plus days

If those forecasts are realised, Melbourne will have had 9 days of 32 degrees or warmer by tomorrow. The previous longest such run was seven days, back in February 1961

Exceptional heat

The heat follows what has already been an exceptionally hot and dry summer over most of southern Australia.

Victoria had its driest summer since 1984/85, and there is little sign of rain in the cool change due to arrive of Wednesday. Nationally, it was the hottest summer since consistent records began in 1910.

Melbourne's temperature reached 32.7 degrees a week ago and maximums have been that warm or hotter each day since, Mr Sharpe said.

The irregular heat is shared to the south as well. Launceston on Sunday posted its sixth consecutive day of 30 degrees or warmer, already beating the previous longest run of such temperatures set in January 2006, Mr Sharpe said.

The city is likely to hit eight or nine such days in a row even as cooler conditions have kept temperatures much lower in southern parts of Tasmania, such as Hobart.

“It's stunning,” Mr Sharpe said. “That heat is just not going anywhere.”

Even Sydney, where the temperatures have been milder, is in the middle of an unusually long warm spell. The city has had a week of daily maximums of 25 degrees or warmer, with at least another week of the same predicted – making it the third-longest such run in its recorded history.

Cyclone Tim seen forming off northern Queensland

Australia's eighth cyclone of the season is likely to form in the Gulf of Carpentaria on Wednesday, forecasters say.

SMH,

11 March, 2013

A strong low pressure system is near Nhulunbuy, in the western gulf, and moving east.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonty Hall says there's a moderate chance it will form into a cyclone on Wednesday.

The storm, which would be called cyclone Tim, will then move east over Cape York Peninsula before "popping out" over the Coral Sea.

But it's likely to spare heavily populated parts of the east coast, as Cyclone Sandra did, and move out to sea.

Sandra, currently a 600km-wide, category four cyclone, is approaching New Caledonia and is expected to lash the northwest point of the main island on Wednesday before bringing destructive winds to the capital, Noumea.

It will then head southeast but it could still affect Australian territory.

Mr Hall says Sandra will pass to the west of Norfolk Island on Thursday and bring strong winds and heavy rain.

"It could definitely give them a bit of a blow," he told AAP.

"But the islanders are no strangers to that sort of thing."

The Bureau of Meteorology couldn't confirm reports a ninth cyclone would follow expected cyclone Tim, but would not rule out more cyclones this season.

"We've seen cyclones just before Anzac day," Mr Hall said.

"So there's still another month and a half to wait and see."