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Surge of heat in southern WA precedes a cooler change

Scott Morris, Sunday March 31, 2019 - 14:14 AEDT

Heat is building in parts of Western Australia today meaning some very hot daytime maximum temperatures should stick around until just after the end of March. However, temperatures are then expected to drop across the southern parts state as we head further into April.

A trough over the coast is the cause of this heat, as winds draw in hot air from northern parts of the state. Cold fronts should then pass through the state on Tuesday and Thursday, pushing the heat out of the region.

Albany is forecast to reach a maximum of 30 degrees on Monday the 1st of April which, if this occurs, should be its hottest daytime maximum since the 17th of October last year. Yesterday, Geraldton had a 39 degree maximum and again could see a very hot day, with forecasts predicting a maximum of 38 degrees. While these temperatures aren't close to the hottest Geraldton has seen in March (45 degrees on the 6th in 2007), should Geraldton reach 38 degrees today, it would be the fourth time that a pair of consecutive days were over 35 degrees this year.

Furthermore, high cloud cover is expected over southwestern parts of WA for the next couple of days. As a result, uncomfortably warm mornings should be expected. Temperatures this morning in Perth and Geraldton only dropped to 17 and 23 degrees respectively, while tomorrow is not expected to drop below 21 degrees for either place. Kalgoorlie could see a morning that doesn’t drop below 19 degrees on Thursday as the heat shifts east.

The first cold front arriving sometime on Tuesday should drop temperatures to around average for the southwestern cities. However, the second front should be more intense than the first and bring some daytime temperatures that will be the lowest that they have been in months for some cities.

Looking further ahead, heat should rebuild fairly quickly following the series of fronts. After next weekend most temperatures will back to average or even slightly above.

- Weatherzone

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