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Heat surges across New Zealand & New South Wales

Extreme temperatures are pushing across eastern coastlines of both New Zealand and Australia this afternoon, reports WeatherWatch.co.nz.

The heat – which is all being created by the same weather system – is peaking in Sydney today and will peak in New Zealand tomorrow.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says Waitangi Day may be the hottest day of 2011 across the country (we’ll have full details on Sunday morning).

Sydney has reached 41 degrees in the past hour or so with other suburbs touching 42.

Here in New Zealand inland Canterbury reached 35 degrees today at Hanmer Springs, while Blenheim in Marlborough reached 33.

Masterton and Gisborne both reached 31 degrees and Tauranga, Hastings and Kaitaia all hit 30.

Auckland’s ‘official’ temperature was 28 at the airport but WeatherWatch.co.nz says parts of the city would’ve reached 30 or 31 degrees.

Tomorrow the hotter weather is predicted to be more widespread as a nor’wester, associated with a high north of New Zealand which is pulling desert air over Sydney, pushes over us.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz

Click here to see today’s national highs across New Zealand

Homepage image / Blue skies, Laura Jerome

Comments

Dave on 5/02/2011 8:53am

do you mean the official Auckland temperature was at Whenuapai?
The airport had a SW sea breeze today, http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/NZAA.html shows temperature several degrees below 28

Here in Howick (east) we reached 27.3C (further inland from the airport and so warmer)

Guest on 5/02/2011 7:49am

Yet another city’s official temperature measurement taken at the wrong place – surely to be called ‘official’, it should be measured at the centre of the highest concentration of the population? Whether this happens to be in the heat-sink of city is beside the point – it’s the temperature that the most people experience…

WW Forecast Team on 5/02/2011 11:41pm

Hi there, we partially agree with what you’ve said.  Definitely, as far the media and WeatherWatch and TV go, the airport readings are hopeless.  They don’t reflect what the majority receive.  In saying that, from a scientific and forecasting point of view it’s very important that the data isn’t "polluted" by surrounding buildings as it throws averages and predictions completely out the window.  So we really need both readings – but yes, in the city, if buildings make it hotter then it’s going to be hotter and that should be reflected in our daily highs. 

– WeatherWatch.co.nz

Ryan on 5/02/2011 7:06am

Hot enough today,roll on winter…

Guest on 5/02/2011 5:57am

This weather is unbearable it’s absolutely sticky hot just went out to manukau supa centa and westfield manukau before and it felt like I was inside an oven walking around the supa centa I hope the cool winds come along and blow away this hot air out to sea the temp at manukau said 28 degrees according to my cars outside temp gauge

David on 5/02/2011 7:13am

From where I am in Wellington, it is so humid, we can barely see the houses across the street due to the mist up here on the hill.
Interesting watching the remains of Yasi over central Aussie still winding away as a low but seeing the airstream pulling the cloud from it and sending it out across Victoria to New Zealand.
WW is there a chance that when that low moves far enough south, it will join the westerly movements in the South Tasmin Sea and head our way as a normal low?

Cheers.

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