Perth weather: Record-breaking heat hits city reaching more than 45C

Perth sweltered through record-breaking heat on Monday, with the mercury rising above 45C in some parts of the city.

According to the Weather Bureau, Gooseberry Hill in the Perth Hills reached an extremely hot 45.1C just before 1.40pm — the suburb’s hottest December day ever.

Pearce in Perth’s east also experienced a record-breaker when the temperature reached 44.7C, while Bickley had an equal record when it hit 41C — the last time it was that hot in December was in 2007.

The Perth metropolitan area recorded its third hottest December day with a top of 43.4C just before 1pm. The previous records were 44.7C in 2007 and 43.5C in 2021.

Albany — known for its cooler weather — recorded a warm 37.9C before noon on Monday — which was warmer than Broome’s maximum temperature of 35.6C.

Weather Bureau senior meteorologist Joey Rawson said the extreme heat was being pushed down from the north of the State.

“There’s been a lot of hot conditions up north through the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Kimberley and then we’ve had a west coast trough that’s dragged that hot temperature down from the north,” he said.

But Mr Rawson said those who have had enough of the heat should not sweat it, with a cool reprieve on the way just in time for Christmas.

Perth is in for a bearable top of 30C on Christmas Eve. And the temperature is expected to drop even further for Christmas Day — with the city expecting a mild maximum of 24C — one of the coolest Christmas days in three decades.

There will be perfect weather for recovering from a festive feast on Boxing Day, with a maximum of 26C forecast.

“We’re at the end of it (the heatwave) for the south west of the State so people can certainly expect cooler conditions, which will be good for recovery,” Mr Rawson said.

“We go from 44C (on Monday) to 24C, that’s a 20C difference.

“It will be a cooler Christmas than normal but not the coldest on record.”

Elsewhere around the State, Morawa Airport recorded 45.8C just before 1.30pm on Monday, while Badgingarra had a high of 44.5C at 1pm. Gingin recorded 44.7C, Lancelin 44.8C, and Cunderdin 43.9C.

On Sunday, Geraldton was the second hottest place in the world when the mercury hit 46.5C at the airport — beaten only by Komatidraai in South Africa (49.2C).

A heatwave warning that was in place for parts of the State had eased on Monday evening, with authorities warning while the threat had passed people should “remain vigilant for the effects of heat”.