Kim Westcott, 28 Dec 2014, 7:24 AM UTC
WA's west coast warms up
Carnarvon residents have had a scorching few days, with the mercury hitting 40 degrees for the third day in a row.
The last time that Carnarvon has recorded three consecutive days over 40-degrees in December was in 1976. In that year the maximum temperature averaged nearly 45 degrees over that three day stretch. At Geraldton, locals have suffered though hot temperatures over the previous five days, seven-to-nine degrees above average for this time of year.
A very hot airmass which is lingering over western districts is being drawn towards the coast during the morning and early afternoon with consistent land breezes, before the gusty seabreeze arrives, providing rapid relief. Today, the temperature dropped six degrees over the space of twenty minutes as the cool southwesterly winds kicked in at Carnarvon before lunch.
The heat will extend further south over the next few days, with Perth forecast to reach 39 degrees on Tuesday. The heat will linger over eastern and inland parts of WA before slowly shifting towards SA at the start of the new year.
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