Severe heatwave hits southeastern Australia with temperatures above 40C, bushfire risk spikes

Millions of Australians are set to swelter through a severe heatwave on Friday and into the weekend, with temperatures exceeding 40C across much of the country — a contrast made clear on a real-time global temperature map.

A post shared on X by account Non Aesthetic Things, using Zoom Earth data, showed Australia glowing in deep orange and red on a real-time global temperature map, standing out sharply against much cooler conditions elsewhere in the world.

The post was captioned: “Australia is currently the hottest place on earth … by far.”

That scorching heat is reflected in severe heatwave warnings still in place across much of southeastern Australia, with the worst of the heat expected to ease first in Victoria before continuing to grip much of the east coast.

The extreme heat, combined with strong winds and dry conditions, is fuelling out of control bushfires in parts of Victoria and southern NSW, prompting emergency fire weather warnings as authorities warn of catastrophic conditions.

Sydneysiders are being warned of extreme heat, with temperatures expected to exceed 33C on Friday, and 42C on Saturday across much of the harbour city.

An extreme heatwave warning is also in place until Sunday for Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, South West Slopes and Riverina, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

A severe heatwave warning is also in place for the Hunter, Central Tablelands, Central West Slopes and Plains, Lower Western and Upper Western regions.

The Bureau warned very hot, dry and windy conditions would lead to extreme fire danger on Friday across the Eastern and Southern Riverina.

Senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, Christie Johnson, said on Friday temperatures in the 40s are expected across several regions, with severe heatwave warnings in place for all states except Queensland.

Temperatures in the 40s are expected on Friday across northern and eastern South Australia, most of Victoria, western and southern NSW, Southern Northern Territory, and northern and inland Western Australia, she said.

Victoria is facing the most dangerous fire conditions, with catastrophic fire danger forecast on Friday for parts of the North Central, Northern Country, South West and Wimmera districts, and extreme fire danger elsewhere across the state.

Very hot and dry conditions, combined with gusty north to north-westerly winds, are expected to persist through Friday, before a cooler and gusty west to south-westerly change moves through during the afternoon and evening.

The Bureau warned isolated thunderstorms may develop near and south of the ranges, bringing little rainfall but increasing the risk of dry lightning and damaging wind gusts.

A scorching 46C is expected for Port Augusta, Renmark, Roxbury Downs, Cooper PD Marie, and Oonadatta in South Australia, Owen in Victoria, and Bell Ranald in NSW.

“Strong north-westerly winds, potentially reaching 90 km/h, are forecast, increasing fire danger, especially in Victoria and southern NSW,” she said.

“A cool change is expected to bring relief over the weekend, with the hottest day forecast for Saturday in NSW, including Sydney. The community is advised to follow local emergency services for updates.”

Parts of South Australia were the hottest in the country on Thursday, Ms Johnson said, with temperatures exceeding 48C in Tau and Woodner.

Meanwhile, in Victoria, Warrnambool reached 46.5C, Hopetoun 46.3C, and Swan Hill and Mildura both saw 46C.

In Southern NSW on Thursday it was also very hot, with temperatures of 45.9C at Hay, 45.4C at Deniliquin, and 44.9C at Ivanhoe.

It comes as an out-of-control bushfire rages on in Victoria’s north, with authorities warning conditions will be “catastrophic” on Friday.

The fire at Longwood, about 150km north of Melbourne, has been raging at emergency level since Wednesday night and is showing no signs of easing as temperatures and winds ramp up during the day.

Forecasts show temperatures in Longwood dropping to around 30C on Saturday and 23C on Sunday following the cool change, though strong winds are expected ahead of the change, before conditions warm again into the low 30s early next week.

According to the Bureau, the heatwave is expected to retreat from Victoria by Sunday, with the ACT and coastal and inland parts of NSW continuing to bear the brunt of extreme heat through to the end of the weekend.