The forecasters won’t be drawn on what December 25 holds, but the heatwave across the country shows no signs of easing

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

On Christmas Day, head to the beach, or the dam, or the swimming pool, or even the local park with a makeshift slip n slide, because it’s probably going to be a hot one.

The Bureau of Meteorology (Bom) won’t be drawn on Christmas Day conditions ahead of the release of their official forecast on Wednesday evening, but a heatwave sweeping across the country is showing no signs of easing before the holiday.

Last week, Perth experienced five days above 35 degrees, reaching a high of 40C on Saturday, and the heatwave is moving east with parts of the country predicted to experience consecutive days above 40C.

South Australia is forecast to reach the mid-40s on Wednesday.

On Thursday Melbourne and Adelaide should hit 40C before the heatwave reaches Canberra (37C) and western Sydney (39C) on Friday. Parts of western NSW and central Queensland will see temperatures in the low to mid-40s from Thursday and through the weekend.

Bom weather services manager for South Australia, John Nairn, told Guardian Australia the current hot weather is caused by high temperatures in the interior of the country, particularly drought-affected areas of central Queensland.

“The high system that’s sitting in the Tasman is drawing that heat down through southern Australia,” said Nairn.

“South Australia is probably getting the highest temperatures...but other places aren’t far behind.”

Nairn said that while every heatwave is different, this first one of the season is more hazardous because of the higher minimum temperatures not allowing much time for recovery overnight.

It’s also a little unusual as it comes off the back of the “relatively … mild summer we’ve had up to this time.”

“When this heat’s arriving it’s a bit of a jump in the background temperatures, and there is a feature of vulnerability in that we do need an acclimatisation period,” he said.

“For the vulnerable people in the community there is a little extra care required because of that jump in temperature, because they won’t be ready for it.”

Nairn advised people to take care in the heat, keeping hydrated and confining activities to the cooler parts of the day, among other precautions.

He also called for people to “do the neighbourly thing” and check in on vulnerable people in their community, such as the elderly.

Bom assistant director for weather services Alasdair Hainsworth said people should factor the forecast into their Christmas travelling.

“Holidaymakers are urged to be mindful of the weather conditions in making their travel plans, and visit the bureau’s website for detailed forecast information in your local area,” said Hainsworth.

“Fire dangers are expected to be very high to extreme across several states, and the public is urged to check these in their local area,” he said.