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Southeast Australia’s brief heat interrupted

A heat trough which lingered over southern and southeast Australia yesterday brought unseasonable heat to South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, with each state capital recording maximum temperatures up to 9 degrees above the monthly average:

Low-level cloud associated with the trough created a layer of insulation overnight. Adding this insulation to the heat brought from northwesterly winds, this resulted in the warmest November morning in the past 4 years for areas of western Victoria, and an uncomfortably warm morning for much of the state, as well as eastern South Australia and areas of Tasmania. Many locations in these three states saw minimum morning temperatures well above the November average ahead of the front (see Fig 1.), including the three state capitals:

Fig. 1) Satellite image overlayed with observed temperatures at 1:00am AEDT, 3^rd Nov 2024 and modelled front

However, the heat has come to an abrupt end, with a front sweeping in early and dropping temperatures rapidly, resulting in a drastic change in weather compared to yesterday. The state most affected with the front’s passing was Victoria, with temperatures dropping by 9 degrees in an hour along Victoria’s east coast, and temperatures throughout today expected to stay below last night’s temperature.

The front has also brought significant gusty winds for Victoria and Tasmania, with wind gusts exceeding 100km/h recorded:

• 118.5km/h at Mount William (VIC)
• 111.1km/h at Mount Buller (VIC)
• 101.9km/h at Mount Gellibrand (VIC)

• 122.2km/h at kunanyi (TAS)
• 118.5km/h at Maatsuyker Island (TAS)
• 116.7km/h at Scotts Peak (TAS)
• 116.7km/h at Tasman Island (TAS)
• 111.1km/h at Low Rocky Point (TAS)
• 109.3km/h at Mount Read (TAS)
• 101.9km/h at Hartz Mountain (TAS)

A damaging wind warning was issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for the Victorian and southern NSW ranges from 4:40am/4:35am respectively and is still in progress. For the latest damaging wind warning for Victoria and southeastern NSW please visiting the following BOM sites: VIC / NSW.