Much of the nation is in the grips of a sweltering early summer heatwave, with temperatures pushing into the high 40s in parts of northern South Australia and western NSW and Queensland.
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Ivanhoe, in the far western Riverina is not set to drop below 43 degrees until next Friday, while Thargomindah in western Queensland is set to see temperatures above 40 until next weekend at the earliest based on current Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predictions.
Temperatures climbed into the high 30s early on Friday in far northern Victoria before a patchy rainband blew in from the west.
Rainfall of up to 50mm is expected in some parts as what is expected to be a relatively narrow rainband pushing through far eastern South Australia, through the Wimmera in Victoria and down through to Melbourne on Saturday.
On Sunday the rain focus centres on South Australia, with models shoring up that regions such as the Eyre Peninsula could see as much as 50mm.
In the north of the EP the rain will useful in terms of providing subsoil moisture but in the south there is still crop to come off.
Through centres such as Horsham in Victoria there will be a wild fluctuation in temperatures.
The mercury got to 34 this afternoon but the BOM is predicting it will not break into the 20s tomorrow, with a top of just 19.
It was expected to get to 45 in Mildura today, but as of 2.30pm the hottest recorded was 36, with hopes that the change has rolled in early and kept a cap on temperatures.
Tomorrow is expected to get to just 30, but the relief is short lived in Victoria's hottest region, with conditions back into the 40s by Monday.
The estimated top in Marree, South Australia, of 47 on Friday is more than 2.5 times that of Hobart's Saturday maximum of 18.
In contrast conditions in the western third of the country are pleasant, with most parts of WA expecting a week in the high 20s.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
