Border and North East centres equalled but did not pass weather bureau records for consecutive days over 40 degrees after thermometers narrowly failed to hit that mark on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's the coolest change we've got at the moment, but it's not much
- Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Rebecca Farr
Bureau of Meteorology stations at Albury and Rutherglen recorded 40 degrees or more five days straight from Sunday to Thursday while Yarrawonga sweltered through six such days in a row.
Yesterday’s maximum temperatures were slightly less hot, Albury hitting 37.2 degrees at 5.30pm, Yarrawonga reaching 38.9 degrees eight minutes earlier and 37.1 degrees measured in Rutherglen at 4.30pm.
Wangaratta endured four consecutive days hotter than 40 degrees, one less than its record, the streak ending when Thursday was 39.5 degrees.
RELATED:
Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Blair Trewin said the Albury airport figures matched the five-day runs seen on the Border between January 28 and February 1, 2009, the week before Black Saturday, and January 14-18, 2014.
Rutherglen’s result was a fourth occasion for the town, which, like Albury, saw heatwaves in 2009 and 2014 as well as on January 11 to 15, 1939, the time of the Black Friday bushfires.
Yarrawonga last went through six days above 40 degrees between January 28 and February 3, 2014, while Wangaratta’s record was also set in January/February 2009.
Mr Trewin noted the Bureau of Meteorology records covered the present weather stations in these centres.
“At Rutherglen this goes back to 1912 but at the other three sites only back to the 1990s or late 1980s,” he said.
Bureau duty forecaster Rebecca Farr said temperatures were expected to drop five to 10 degrees in southern NSW on Saturday.
“It’s a pretty weak change and we’re still expecting low intensity heat wave conditions to persist into the coming week,” she said.
“It’s the coolest change we’ve got at the moment, but it’s not much.
“We’ve got temperatures again building up into around 40 degrees in the middle of next week.”
A spokeswoman said Albury Wodonga Health had experienced high levels of demand for heat-related presentations at its emergency departments.
The health service emphasised the need for people to drink more water, keep cool, plan ahead, check on family members and friends and never leave children, adults or pets in parked cars.
- Receive our daily newsletter straight to your inbox each morning from The Border Mail. Sign up here