Urgent warning about brutal heatwave about to strike Australia as temperatures break records
- Abnormal heat and severe weather this summer
- Bureau releases brutal long-range forecast
- READ MORE: Millions in firing line as severe storms bear down on Aussie state
Millions of Australians are set to sweat through the hottest October week in nearly two decades amid warnings of an abnormally hot summer.
Weatherzone has forecast South Australia, Queensland, NSW, and the ACT could all break their heat records for October, with temperatures expected to hit the mid-40s.
On Wednesday, temperatures are set to soar to 38C in Sydney.
'This heat is now spreading across the country, causing a huge pool of unseasonably warm temperatures in outback regions,' Weatherzone said.
'Parts of southeastern Australia closer to the coast will also experience a brief burst of unseasonable heat later in the weekend and into the new week.'
Sky News weather meteorologist Tamsin Green forecast this week will be the hottest October week in nearly two decades.
Parts of Australia's southeast are expected to face some premature summer heat this week, with temperatures as high as 44C in NSW's northwest.
The Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast predicts maximum temperatures will be higher than average nationwide over the four months leading up to February next year.
Australia is expected to suffer through an abnormally hot summer. Pictured is a map showing the chances of exceeding median minimum temperatures over three months to January
Meanwhile, there is a higher risk of severe weather between October and April, the peak time for tropical cyclones, heatwaves, bushfires, and flooding, driven by marine heatwaves.
November is expected to record higher-than-average rainfall across much of northern and eastern Australia.
Through summer, however, only parts of far north Queensland and Western Australia's wheatbelt are expected to record unusually high rainfall.
The NSW coastline is the only part of the country likely to avoid the extreme weather, with moisture from a wet winter expected to moderate maximum temperatures.
The most notable difference is the warmer-than-usual forecast for nights throughout the summer, with an 80 per cent chance of 'unusually high' minimum temperatures.
'Because we are seeing increased chances of it being unusually warm for both overnight and daytime temperatures, that there's an increased chance of extreme heat,' the Bureau's senior climatologist Felicity Gamble told the ABC.
Experts have also sounded the bushfire alarm, with a lack of rain in recent weeks drying up soils in Victoria, New South Wales, and central and southern Queensland.
The official bushfire outlook for summer will be published in late November.
Summer maximum temperatures are expected to be higher-than-usual across the country (stock), with unusually warm nights and a higher chance of severe weather
Summer temperatures have come early in parts of Australia's south-east, with temperatures expected to reach 44C
Sea temperatures in Australia have been the warmest or second warmest on record each month since July last year.
The marine heatwave has contributed to bleaching on both sides of the country, killing large swathes of coral in the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo.
Higher temperatures have also contributed to an ongoing outbreak of algal blooms in South Australia, killing thousands of sea creatures and detracting from tourism.
The state has introduced a plan to mitigate the impacts of the outbreak over summer, including supporting coastal communities and reef restoration.
