Justin Jones and Jarrod Parsons of Ballarat try to cool down in the autumn heatwave.
BALLARAT residents tossed and turned in their beds last night, as the city endured another hot autumn night.
Weatherzone meteorologist Rob Sharpe said last night’s temperature was expected to still be in the high 20s around midnight, before dropping to the low 20s in the early hours of the morning, with a minimum of 19 degrees.
“Last night had the potential to be warmer than the night before – so it was probably even more difficult going to bed,” Mr Sharpe said.
“It was expected to still be sitting in the high 20s around midnight, before dropping to the low 20s in the morning, dipping to 19.”
This comes after another hot night, while on Tuesday morning the city saw a minimum of 20 degrees.
“On Tuesday morning, it only dipped below 25 at nine o’clock in the evening, and remained in the low 20s until after midnight,” he said.
“It wasn’t a record breaker, but it was the warmest March night since 2008, when there was one night with a minimum of 22 degrees.”
Although we’ve seen hot autumn weather so far, it may all be coming to an end.
“Yesterday was the seventh day in a row over 30, and the 10th day in a row above 28 – which is very uncommon considering March’s average is usually 22,” he said.
“This morning the cool change should have come though, only reaching a top of 25 today, which for many people will be good news.
“Over tonight and tomorrow morning, we’ll see those night temperatures drop, reaching a minimum of nine degrees.”
And the contrasting weather continues.
“The cooler weather will continue into the weekend, with a minimum on Sunday morning of only six degrees, with a cold front coming through on Saturday.”
Monday night’s high minimum challenged summer night temperatures.
“It was the warmest night since the morning of January 18, where the minimum was 20.4 degrees,” Mr Sharpe said.
“There were only two nights during summer that stayed above 20 degrees.”
Mr Sharpe said the reason it had been so hot was a high pressure from eastern Victoria had sat there and blocked any cold pressure systems from coming through.
“It’s only now that we’re seeing a front strong enough to come through and influence the weather – it is due to come through between eight and 11 this morning,” he said.
“Halfway through March, we’re starting to see the end of summer.”
