Albury-Wodonga is set to sizzle through a brutal heatwave over the next few days, with temperatures tipped to hit well over 40 degrees.
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But don't despair, a cool change is on the way. The mercury will drop a startling 10 degrees on Sunday when a refreshing cold front blows in.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Keris Arndt said a massive band of hot air that formed in central Australia has blown southeast in recent days.
Friday will be a scorcher, with the temperature forecast to climb to 43 degrees before dropping to an uncomfortably warm 24 degrees overnight.
There will be no reprieve from mother nature on Saturday, with it expected to reach at least 41 degrees.
However, a cold front will bring some much needed relief early in the morning on Sunday, Mr Arndt said.
And there’s a medium chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon.
“You don't often get a sea breeze that far north,” Mr Arndt said. “(The Border) is holding onto that northwesterly wind that’s blowing the very hot air we've seen over the interior of Australia into northern Victoria,” he said.
“It's a very hot air mass sitting over us, and we need a strong cold front to bring in a big area of cold air up from the south to push through, which we will not see until at least Sunday.”
After the cool change it will be a dry week ahead, with little to no rain forecast for the remainder of the week.
The savage weather has Border health authorities scrambling to get the word out for people to take the necessary precautions, as heatwaves can kill more people than bushfires or floods.
In response, a heat health warning has been issued for the North East.
Border residents, especially the elderly and young children, should drink plenty of water and avoid going outside in the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest, from 11am until 5pm.
Murrumbidgee Local Health District director Tracey Oakman called on people to avoid drinking alcohol.
She said it was difficult for authorities to record the true impact of heatwaves and therefore some people could grow complacent.
“The data is really hard actually to be clear because a lot of people who go to a hospital with medical conditions that are exacerbated by the heat will be recorded by that medical condition rather than as from the heat,” she said.
“So it is difficult to quantify exactly.
“But we do know we get an increase in presentations and admissions to hospitals during heatwaves.”
Parents were reminded to never leave children in a car or risk up to six months jail.
