Near record heatwave finally passes through region

At last, a week-long severe heatwave which plagued the North East eased on Sunday with a drop of rain and some isolated thunderstorms passing through. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a milder southwest to southerly flow reached the region and brought forecasted temperatures in Wangaratta down to a 29-degree maximum on Sunday. Wangaratta’s mean maximum temperature during the seven days from Sunday, 25 January was 42.2 degrees, with the hottest day coming on Wednesday’s 45.2 degree peak. Six of those seven days had temperatures above 40 degrees, with Thursday recording a maximum of 39.6 degrees. According to former CSIRO climatologist Peter Nelson, Wangaratta’s mean maximum temperature of 35.5 degrees this January would be the second hottest recorded in Wangaratta over the past 100 years, with 2019’s average of 37 degrees the only hotter month. The nine days of more than 40 degrees this month matched the number of 40-plus degree days in 2019. Mr Nelson said the 45.2 degrees experienced on Wednesday was just shy of the hottest recorded Wangaratta day over the past 69 years, which was 45.8 degrees in January 1990 and on Black Saturday. Despite the cooler temperatures, the CFA issued a statewide total fire ban on Sunday due to gusty winds expected throughout the day. The forecast in Wangaratta has maximum temperatures slowly increasing day-by-day, with a high of 36 degrees expected on Wednesday.

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