A large portion of Australia’s interior is baking this Monday under near-record-breaking temperatures for November, and the searing heat is directly related to Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina.
To 5pm Monday (AEST), temperatures above 45°C were experienced in three states, with the hottest readings in each of those states being:
- SA: 46.2°C At Marree in the state’s North East Pastoral forecast district
- QLD: 46.1°C at Windorah in the Channel Country of the state’s southwest corner
- NSW: 45.4°C at Smithville Outpost in the state’s northwest corner
It’s also worth noting that numerous readings between 43°C and 43.7°C were recorded right across the southern half of the Northern Territory, including at Alice Springs and Yulara, near Uluru.
Some of Monday’s heat made it as far south as the northwest corner of Victoria, where the tiny town of Walpeup hit 40.1°C, the state’s first 40-degree temperature to date in spring 2025 in what has been a relatively cool season compared to the long-term average in most parts of Victoria.
Image: Marree in South Australia was Australia’s hottest place on Monday with a maximum of 46.2°C. Source: iStock/bloodstone.
How did Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina help fuel this heat event?
As Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino noted last week, TC Fina drew vast amounts of heat from the warm surrface waters of the Timor Sea (which have been 30°C or higher near the Top End coastline), then transported it into higher levels of the atmosphere.
The upper-level air then moved further south before descending over the Australian continent under the influence of an upper-level high pressure system.
“As the air that was ejected into the upper-atmosphere moved south, it lost a lot of the moisture it began with but retained its potential temperature,” Domensino explained.
“This means that the air warmed up as it descended towards the ground over central Australia, in a process called adiabatic warming.”
This Monday has actually been the second day of extreme heat in outback regions, with Birdsville in Queensland’s Channel Country reaching 46.7°C on Sunday. That was just two degrees short of the statewide spring record.
The interior heat will begin to dissipate on Tuesday, with some of it tracking towards the east coast.
Sydney is expecting a maximum of 36°C on Wednesday, while Brisbane is in line for a similar maximum on Thursday with the chance of storms on what will be a very steamy and uncomfortable day.
