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Thursday 3 February 2000

Today's weather extremes

 Hot in SA, Vic, western NSW

Highest rainfall, 24 hours to 9am

107.0 Mt Sophia Gordonvale Qld
71.0 Hazelmere Cooktown Qld
67.2 Cooktown Mission Strip Qld
65.0 Cubbagudta Daintree Qld
Maximum temperature anomaly (left) and actual (right)
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Heatwave conditions continued in most of SA and Victoria today, bringing electricity problems to both states. Maximum temperatures were 8 to 18° above normal across most of Victoria, central and southeastern SA, and northern Tasmania (red area above left). Much of SA and western Victoria exceeded 42° (brown area, above right), with parts of northeastern SA exceeding 45 -- Marree recorded the highest temperature in the area with 45.6°. The heat was most felt in Victoria's Gippsland, where Bairnsdale and the Latrobe Valley Airport both set new records for top temperatures. A cool change swept around the Victorian coast during the afternoon, dropping temperatures in parts of Melbourne by 13° in as many minutes around 4pm.

The heat exacerbated electricity problems in Vic and SA, where industrial action and breakdowns already restricted supply. Load shedding was necessary as air conditioners drained supplies, with over 100,000 Victorian consumers without power for up to 2 hours, and rotating blackouts in Adelaide.

 

Highest & Lowest Temps

Maximum Minimum
46.0 Pannawonica WA
45.6 Marree PO SA
45.3 Oodnadatta AP SA
45.0 Woomera AP SA		 29.4 Tibooburra PO NSW
17.0 Maatsuyker Is Tas 5.6 Guyra NSW

Greatest variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+18.3
43.0 Bairnsdale Vic
+17.1
40.8 Lakes Entrance Vic
+15.7
41.0 Laverton AP Vic		 +13.3
27.3 Moorabbin AP Vic
+13.1
26.7 Scoresby Vic
+12.0
26.0 Laverton AP Vic
-5.5
28.0 Pearce AP WA		 -6.0
9.0 Murrurundi NSW
Other extreme readings
.
Records set this day
Hawker SA: Highest February max temp in 33 years record, 43.5 breaking previous record of 42.7
Bairnsdale AP Vic: All time highest max temp in 20 years record, 43.0 breaking previous record of 42.5
Latrobe Valley AP Vic: Highest February max temp in 16 years record, 40.0 breaking previous record of 38.6
Wynyard AP Tas: All time highest max temp in 14 years record, 33.0 breaking previous record of 31.5

  • Times stated are the clock time in force in the relevant state or territory

  • Stories, including those in the archives, are as new and corrected information becomes available, with updates underlined

  • Australian Weather News gratefully acknowledges the Bureau of Meteorology as the collector and main source of meteorological data in Australia, along with the thousands of observers who record the weather and rainfall daily. I also thank Don White and the many contributors to the Aussie Weather mailing list who routinely provide much appreciated information.