BALLARAT has roasted on its hottest ever April day after the mercury soared to 31.7 degrees this afternoon.
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But it’s not going to last with an Antarctic blast set to smash the region on the weekend with Saturday’s expected temperature less than half of today.
The new record was set at 3.10pm, hitting 31.7 degrees before a late afternoon wind change saw the temperature drop.
The previous record of 31.5 degrees was set on April 10, 2005 which is also believed to be the hottest three day stretch in the history of April, when the temperature was 27, 30 and then 31.5 degrees.
The last three days in Ballarat have been 26, 27 and now 31.7.
Senior Forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology Tom Delamotte said heat from the middle of Australia had caused the unseasonable warmth.
“As a trough has approached, winds have turned in north-westerly direction and dragged heat from the interior,” Mr Delamotte said.
“The previous record was set on April 10, back in 2005 so its not completely uncommon to see temperatures in the 30s in early April.
“But it certainly does become less common in the second half of April.”
But summer looks to have finally ended as winter prepares to set in.
“(Wednesday) was the last day where we will see this exceptional heat for this time of the year,” Mr Delamotte said.
“It’s planned to be 25 on Thursday and then a significant change will hit by the weekend with a forecast for Saturday of just 14 degrees.
“After that it will be generally mid-to-high teens which are much closer to normal temperatures.”
But while the heat might be gone, another record could still fall this month.
In 2005, the average temperature in Ballarat was 21.5 degrees, more than three degrees above the average.
Before today’s heat has been calculated into this month’s total, the average temperature was 23.5 degrees so far.
Generally winds have been moderate throughout the region, but that is expected to change with forecasters warning residents to be on the look-out for what could be a dangerous fire day on Thursday.
“Ballarat is set for a windy start on Thursday morning which will peak in the late morning with gusts between 40 and 60km/h,” Mr Delamotte said.
