News

Extreme heatwave to peak across southeast Australia

Source Weatherzone Mon 26 Jan 2026

Much of southeastern Australia is under the influence of an ongoing severe to extreme heatwave, which has already brought multiple consecutive days of temperatures in the low to mid 40s, particularly for inland areas.  Now for parts of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and the ACT, temperatures are set to soar to the highest levels seen not just this summer, but for many years. Extreme temperatures extending to the coast  The last few days have seen temperatures see-saw for coastal parts of southern SA and Vic, especially Melbourne. This is due to high pressure over the Bass strait sending cooler southerly winds across the coast, leading to a massive temperature differential of as much as 25°C at times across the state on Sunday.  Image: Cool southerly winds along the Vic coast on Sunday afternoon had minimal effect over the interior  In the coming days, a trough will bring hot northerly winds back to the southeast corner of Australia. Temperatures will rocket to the mid to high 40s across much of SA and western and central Vic, with temperatures well into the 30s across southern parts of Tas, including Hobart.   Currently, Adelaide is forecast to reach 45°C on Monday, with Melbourne forecast to reach 44°C on Tuesday. Hobart will not be subject to that sort of heat, but its forecast of 34°C is still the hottest day of the summer so far. The ACT doesn’t escape this extreme heat either with Canberra looking at a maximum of 42°C on Wednesday.  Multiple records under threat  Image: Temperatures on Tuesday will be the highest seen in years for some areas, with many local records under threat  While maximum temperatures in the southern mainland capitals are not expected to break long-standing records, inland areas may be a different story.  Model guidance is pointing to temperatures reaching the high 40s across parts of northwest Vic, southwest NSW and eastern parts of SA on Tuesday. Right in the middle of this area is Mildura, which has a forecast of 48°C for Tuesday. The town’s all-time record is 47.2°C, in 1939, which means the forecast temperature would break the record by a significant margin.  Furthermore, the all-time state record for Vic is 48.8°C, reached at Hopetoun in 2009. Hopetoun, some 180km south of Mildura also has a forecast of 48°C on Tuesday. Some towns are currently forecast to reach 49°C, such as Walpeup, just over 100km south of Mildura. This makes it possible that multiple records could fall, not just in Vic, but for SA and NSW. Potentially dangerous fire days on the way  We’ve already seen the entirety of SA and most of Vic under Extreme Fire Danger on Saturday, with Catastrophic Fire Danger ratings over parts of SA as well, and Tuesday has the potential to bring similarly dangerous fire conditions.  Image: Extreme Fire Danger Ratings are currently expected across large parts of SA and Vic for Tuesday. These will be updated on Monday afternoon if deemed necessary  As the trough previously mentioned approaches southeast Aus, hot north-westerly winds will develop across western parts of Vic and eastern parts of SA. In addition, dewpoints are expected to be in the single digits meaning the environment will be very dry. Combined with the record challenging temperatures, these areas could see their worst fire days since the infamous Black Summer of 2019-20.  This is not good news for firefighters already battling multiple fires across the region that are not yet under control, particularly in Vic.  Arguably the most dangerous thing that is factoring into the fire day on Tuesday is the south-westerly change pushing through southeast Australia as the trough crosses. While this brings relief in the way of cooler temperatures, a wind change causes an active fire to change direction, bringing previously safer areas into the path of a much larger fire-front.  Image: Hot and gusty northerly winds will be followed by a sharp south-westerly change entering Victoria on Tuesday afternoon, exacerbating any fires already burning  Heatwave to continue for the rest of the week While the next couple of days are expected to be the hottest for southeast Australia, tomorrow afternoon’s change will only bring relief to southern parts of Vic and SA. Temperatures are still expected to reach at least the high 30s for most of the week for Adelaide and Canberra, as well as inland Vic. Meanwhile, temperatures will continue to exceed 40 degrees across much of the eastern interior right through the working week before a significant cold front is expected to finally bring some relief to areas that will have endured a week-long severe heatwave.  Image: Heatwave conditions will continue across the eastern interior and southeast Australia right through the rest of the week. How to stay safe in a heatwave  Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest natural disaster, and they can cause problems for anyone who doesn’t take precautions to keep cool, even people who are fit and healthy.  The Australian Red Cross has the following advice for staying safe during a heatwave:  Stay inside and keep out of the heat as much as possible. Plan to do most of your activities early or late in the day to avoid being outside during the hottest hours.  Avoid sport and heavy exercise during peak hours of the day.  Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, even if you don’t feel thirsty.  Keep your home cool by using external shade cloths or blinds to shield the inside of the house from direct sunlight.  Where possible use a combination of air conditioning and fans to keep certain rooms in the house cool. Electric fans can be an effective method of cooling if air conditioning is not available.  If not using air conditioning, open windows during the cooler parts of the day and allow ventilation between rooms.  Take cool showers or baths, splash yourself with cold water, or use a cool damp cloth to cool down.  If it's too hot at home, go to an air-conditioned shopping centre, community centre, library or your local swimming pool.  Avoid direct exposure to the sun where possible and protect yourself with appropriate clothing (loose-fitting, lightweight and light-coloured).  Do not leave children or animals in parked vehicles.  Keep in touch with friends, neighbours and relatives, particularly if they’re unwell or isolated.  - Weatherzone © Weatherzone 2026