Today is arguably the best beach weather Perth has experienced this close to midwinter in more than a 100 years. Temperatures have risen eight-to-10 degrees above average, to the low thirties, sending many to parks and beaches. By 1pm it had warmed to 32.7 degrees in the city and 30.4 degrees near the beach at Swanbourne, the warmest day in four weeks and warmest May day in at least 15 years This is not such a big deal for May alone but to get this sort of warmth this deep into May is much more unusual. In fact, in more than 120 years of records Perth hasn't had a warmer day this close to midwinter. Before today the nearest to mid-winter the city had been this warm was on the 1st of May, in both 2002 and 2003, reaching 34.3 and 32.7 degrees respectively. The unseasonable warmth has come about due to a build up of heat in northern WA with help from plenty of sunshine and now northerly winds. The north of the state has been allowed to reach the mid thirties (about three degrees above average) almost every day this month due to warmer-than-normal seas nearby and a string of sunny afternoons. For the southwest of the state, including the Perth area, a cooler change is not too far away. A low pressure trough which drew the warm northerly winds into the region is now moving east, allowing cooling sea breezes to develop this afternoon. On Sunday a front will enhance the cooling, surely reducing the number of beach-goers. But it still looks like a reasonable day for it, at least in the afternoon when the cloud moves away and the temperature rises to the mid twenties.