Daily maximum temperatures in the northern part of WA have continued to be below the February normals.
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The highest temperature so far at Broome since December 27 last, has not yet reached 35 degrees and this is the longest such stretch since 2008 and before that in 1991.
Both those years did see an absence of very hot days in our region during the second half of February and also not much rainfall, but the first half of March saw several hot days of 38 degrees.
Just before last weekend a pool of very hot conditions developed in remote areas of South Australia. At Woomera the temperature last Saturday February 10 reached 45 degrees, almost a record high for February at Woomera.
At the same time well below normal maximum temperatures in northern WA were still occurring.
A very similar situation occurred in February 1963 when the temperature reached 44.7 on February 11, 1963 at Woomera when a long cooler spell was occurring in northern WA.
We were fortunate that this very hot pool of air did not invade our region during last weekend but instead moved across the western inland of NSW where the temperature reached 45 degrees at Wilcannia and also at Ivanhoe.
Exactly the same situation occurred in February 1963 when the temperature reached 44 degrees at Wilcannia on February 12 and only 34 at Wangaratta which it was last weekend as well.
We were fortunate that this very hot pool of air did not invade our region during last weekend but instead moved across the western inland of NSW ...
This very hot pool of air then advanced into southern Queensland and gave Rockhampton its hottest February day since 1969, the temperature reaching 41 degrees. But its strength is waning now.
There was very little rainfall in our region during the second half of February 1963 and the first three weeks of March 1963, apart from isolated light falls at the end of February and early March.
Heavy rain did arrive on March 23 in 1963.
The highest temperature was 35 degrees in early March that year.
Much the same picture is anticipated in our region the next six weeks including the third successive warmer-than-normal March in Wangaratta which did previously happen in 1951 to 1953.