Weather News

Heatwave and fire danger intensifying in SA

Brett Dutschke, Friday March 1, 2019 - 14:54 AEDT

The heatwave which has been affecting South Australia is intensifying along with fire danger as gusty northerly winds kick in.

As of about 2pm it had become the hottest March day in 33 years in parts of Adelaide, including Kent Town (41.7 degrees), Elizabeth (41.6 degrees) and Parafield (42.0 degrees), and it is not even the hottest part of the day yet.

The highest fire danger has been in the west of the state where some areas have experienced Catastrophic fire weather. With a peak expected in the next hour or so, fire danger is already at its highest for March in 10-to-15 years at Minnipa, Cummins, Adelaide and Naracoorte.

The hot, dry, gusty winds will ease later this afternoon but stay gusty enough overnight to keep temperatures across much of the state into the thirties well into the night ahead of another scorching day tomorrow. Adelaide is likely to be warmer than 30 degrees after midnight before reaching about 40 degrees again tomorrow.

A cooler change is due top reach the state's west late on Saturday then slowly cross the rest of the south during Sunday, not reaching the far north until mid-next week.

The change will initially be a dry one, rain only beginning to fall late on the weekend and into early next week. This rain looks fairly patchy and is sure to contain some thunder.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2019

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A very wet weekend for southeast Qld, northeast NSW

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