A mass of hot air is set to sweep across Australia this week as a large high-pressure system moves eastwards over the country, bringing unseasonably warm conditions to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other south-eastern centres.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a burst of warmth as spring begins on Tuesday, September 1, with temperatures in parts of south-east Australia expected to rise around 5C above average.
Melbourne and Adelaide are forecast to reach 22C on the first day of spring, while Canberra could climb to 21C. Sydney is expected to reach between 25C and 27C.
The heat is then likely to build further along the east coast. Sydney could reach 27C on Wednesday, about 7C above the September average, while Brisbane is forecast to hit 31C on Thursday and Friday.
Forecasters said the high-pressure system had helped draw warmer air across the continent, with north-westerly winds contributing to the rise in temperatures. A cooler westerly change is expected to affect parts of the southern coastline later in the week, but warmth will persist in eastern Australia.
The spell follows an exceptionally mild winter for the country’s south-east. According to analysis published by the ABC, Sydney and Melbourne recorded their warmest winter on record, based on Bureau of Meteorology records dating back to the 1850s.
Long-range modelling from the Bureau of Meteorology has also indicated the possibility of unusually warm conditions across southern Australia through spring, although the immediate forecast is centred on this week’s high-pressure system and its associated hot air.
