Southern parts of Australia are bracing for a brief heatwave starting on Friday and lasting until next Tuesday. The Adelaide area is expected to be the hardest hit, with temperatures reaching around 36°C in the city on Friday, which is 10°C higher than usual for this time of year.
Daytime temperatures are predicted to remain above 35°C until Tuesday, with nighttime temperatures not dipping below 25°C. This will mark the longest stretch of high temperatures in Adelaide during March in four years, with only one day in March surpassing 35°C during this period.
In more rural inland areas, temperatures are expected to soar up to 15°C above average, exceeding 40°C in some places. Melbourne will also experience elevated temperatures from Saturday onwards, with highs of 38°C expected.
As a result, a low-intensity heatwave alert has been issued for much of southern Australia, with localized severe heatwave warnings in effect, including in Adelaide.
The dry conditions and light winds will exacerbate the impact of the heatwave. Authorities have advised residents to use air conditioning and not to conserve electricity to stay cool overnight. Temperatures are forecasted to begin decreasing by Tuesday, although they will remain above average in Adelaide until Thursday.
In other news, a western disturbance passed across central and southern parts of Asia over the weekend, bringing heavy rainfall and snowfall to Afghanistan, northwest India, and Pakistan.
Western disturbances are extratropical cyclonic circulations that originate over the Mediterranean and move eastward along the subtropical jet stream. They occur approximately five to ten times per month during the northern hemisphere winter and are the primary source of precipitation in northwest Pakistan during this season.
However, they also frequently cause flooding in these regions. This recent western disturbance severely impacted Pakistan, leading to remote areas becoming isolated.
The Pakistani army was deployed to clear snow from highways and rescue stranded civilians. Landslides triggered by torrential rainfall destroyed numerous homes and resulted in the deaths of at least 35 people, including 22 children.
