Temp still 30C at 3am

Updated 5.30pm: After a searing hot day yesterday, last night brought no relief as temperatures stayed above 30C until after 3am.

Hitting the maximum of 37.8C at 3.20pm, yesterday’s forecast slowly dropped by only a degree until 7pm before jumping down 3C to 30.3C at 8pm.

Overnight, temperatures hovered around 30C before dropping to 29.3C at 4am and 28.3C at 5am.

At 6am, the temperature had barely dropped to 28.1C.

Western Power reports a surge in peak demand yesterday, peaking at 4.34pm when electricity usage rose to 3866MW.

A spokeswoman for the utility said this was well under last year's peak of 4068MW, which occurred on January 25.

The Weather Bureau has warned the city that today is likely to be muggy and hot, but tomorrow could bring a sunny change which would deliver some relief.

Today’s maximum in the Perth area was recorded today at Pearce, 41.1C.

WA saw a heatwave in the week leading up to New Year’s Day, ending with a scorching 42.1C on New Year’s Eve, 13 degrees above the December average.

The State’s average temperature for the last week of 2012 averaged a maximum of 39.3C, making it the hottest week in 80 years.

The Bureau of Meteorology said 2012 was the hottest year in Perth in 116 years, with the mean daily maximum temperature of 25.7C in the city equal to the highest on record.

Almost all the months in 2012 were warmer than normal in Perth, with the exception of February and November.

Perth recorded seven heatwaves - characterised as three or more consecutive days with maximum temperatures of 35C or higher - in 2012, the second highest number recorded in any one year.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS AUSTRALIA TODAY

Northern Territory
Hottest: Warburton 47.2C
Coolest: Middle Point 22.4

South Australia
Hottest: Oodnadatta 47.1
Coolest: Robe 22.6

West Australia
Hottest: Leonora 46.7
Coolest: Hopetoun North 20.0C

New South Wales
Hottest: Wilcannia 45.7
Coolest: thredbo 18.9

Queensland
Hottest: Birdsville 44.6
Colest: Applethorpe 12.6

Victoria
Hottest: Mildura 38.9
Coolest: Mt Baw Baw 10.8

ACT
Hottest: Canberra 38
Coolest: Mt Ginini 21.2

Tasmania
Hottest: Fingal 28.8

Coolest: Mt Wellington 2.6

- with AAP