Mildura and Ouyen were forecast to reach 49C as a heatwave swept south-east Australia. (Facebook: Mildura.com)
A severe heatwave has delivered record-breaking temperatures in Victoria’s north-west, with Walpeup and Hopetoun recording a new statewide maximum of 48.9 degrees Celsius.
The state’s north-east was put on notice when temperatures of 49C were forecast as part of an extended run of extreme weather.
The mercury officially hit 48.9C in Walpeup, near Ouyen, at 3:36pm, according to the latest Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) observations.
That temperature was matched at Hopetoun Airport, around one hour’s drive south of Walpeup, at 4:06pm.
That temperature eclipses the previous highest recorded temperature of 48.8C, which was recorded at Hopetoun Airport during the Black Saturday bushfires.
Melbourne’s highest temperature was also recorded on Black Saturday — 46.4C on February 7, 2009.
[table previous max temps]
The highest-ever recorded temperature at Mildura is 50.7C in January 1906, but this is excluded from official records because of the instrumentation used.
New record temperatures were recorded today in Mildura (48.6C), Longerenong (48.1C), Horsham (47.8C), Mortlake (46.3C), Hamilton (45C), Warrnambool (45C), and Walpeup.
Records were also beaten in SA at Renmark (49.3C) and Loxton (48.1C).
Parts of Melbourne breached the 45C mark including Laverton (45.5C) and Point Cook (45.3C) in the city’s west, while Melbourne Airport hit 44.1C.
Olympic Park in centre of Melbourne peaked at 42.7C at 4:48pm.
The BOM’s Christie Johnson told ABC Victoria Statewide Drive a cool change was rolling over the south-west of the state, and was expected to reach Geelong about 6:30pm.
“It’s definitely going to be bringing some relief into the second half of the evening,” she said.
The BOM will analyse all peak temperatures before confirming official records tomorrow.
It comes on the back of a record-breaking day across the border, where an exhausting 49.5C was reached at Ceduna on South Australia’s far west coast yesterday.
It is an ominous start to the year, following a significantly hot 2025 across the board.
Last year was Australia’s fourth-warmest year since national records began in 1910, according to the BOM, with the national annual average temperature 1.23C above the 1961–1990 average.
News
The hill town of Niscemi with many buildings on the brink of a catastrophic landslide — residents quickly evacuated overnight
A shocking aerial view shows the southern hill town Niscemi perched precariously on a cliff edge with several buildings dangerously…
Nipah virus returns: Extremely high fatality rate and the potential for direct person-to-person transmission
Airports across parts of Asia have begun tightening health surveillance and travel screening after an outbreak of Nipah virus in an…
Heartbreaking: The authorities have quietly carried out a mass cull of rare Dingoes, showing total disregard for the indigenous community’s consultation
At least nine of the 10 dingoes involved in the fatal attack on a Canadian backpacker on K’gari Island have…
“Save her… She’s pregnant”: The desperate cries for help from three drowning victims at Never Never River have left a haunting impact on the entire forest
Two men have drowned in a swimming spot in NSW’s Mid North Coast and two others, including a pregnant woman,…
Following the brutal d3:ath of the 19-year-old girl, dingoes are on the brink of permanent extinction
In the early hours of Monday morning, a young woman’s body was found being mauled by a pack of dingoes…
“Evacuate before sunset!”: 1,000 Victoria households scream in despair as d3:adly flames close in under 49°C heat
Residents of more than 1,000 homes in Victoria have been urged to leave before sunset in anticipation of a massive…
End of content
No more pages to load
