Heads up, South Australia! According to the latest weather forecasts, a significant heatwave is on the horizon going into the weekend and early next week.
If this forecast holds true, it would mark the first major heatwave in several years for Adelaide and much of SA. Recent summers have been relatively mild, with no prolonged periods of intense heat. However, this event looks set to break that trend.
While these forecasts may still shift as we approach the start of February, it’s a good idea to prepare for extended high temperatures.
“We are expecting to see very hot weather across Adelaide and the rest of South Australia, particularly from Friday and then really peaking over the weekend and into early next week,” shared a spokesperson from the Bureau of Meteorology.
“We’ll see maximum temperatures climbing up initially into the low 30s on Friday, but by Sunday, we are expecting to see high 30s. At this stage, we are forecasting a top of 40 degrees on Monday, and it’s also looking to be very hot on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
At this point, these scorching temperatures are expected to stick around for up to six days. With this to come it’s important for people to be aware of how the heat impacts them.
“We’re looking at a run of five to six very hot days for Adelaide, which will mean heatwave conditions across much of South Australia.
“As with all heatwaves, especially for Adelaide it’s pretty typical for this time of year, but the sort of hot temperatures that we will be seeing are prolonged. We are talking about five days and five nights, which means the body doesn’t get much chance to cool down.
“Heat does affect everyone differently, but when we are getting to this category it does mean people with preexisting health conditions, or those more vulnerable to the heat can find it a bit more difficult to cope, especially when you can’t cool down overnight.
“When we’re getting into that sort of four, five, six-day length of heatwave even healthy people can’t find it quite challenging as well.”
There are heaps of ways you can work to stay cool despite the heat, most importantly staying cool where you can and drinking lots of water.
“First up we do recommend that people are aware of the upcoming heat but also do what they can to stay cool and stay hydrated. So stay out of the heat of the sun, drink plenty of water, stay indoors and cool where you can. We also do say that SA Health has some really great stuff on its website. We recommend that people log onto the SA Health website and check out the section called ‘Healthy in the Heat’.”
Healthy in the Heat has heaps of resources, tips, and question-and-answer sections to help you beat the heat.
“We do recommend that if people are a bit unsure of what to do they should log onto that. Generally, take care and don’t forget about your pets and animals!”
To keep up to date with the BoM, click here.
To check out the resources on Healthy in the Heat, click here.
