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Aussie region becomes HOTTEST place on earth – and worst is still to come

The Western Australian location became the hottest place on the planet this month and the worst is yet to come.

Hell hath no fury like the Western Australian outback with scorching temperatures setting flames to world records this week.

On Monday thermometers reached 46.1 degrees at Learmonth Airport making the tiny RAAF base in Exmouth the single hottest place on Earth so far in February 2023.

But meteorologists warn the worst is yet to come.

“It could possibly get to 50 degrees in some areas of the Pilbara around Friday or Saturday,” the Weatherzone’s James Rout told Yahoo News Australia.

Car driving in the Pilbara.
Parts of the Pilbara in Western Australia could hit 50 degrees this weekend making it the hottest place on earth. Source: Getty

While it will mean the region will once again nab the unwanted title of hottest location in the world, temperatures could also smash the history books.

“If it does get to 50 later this week, it will be only the second time this has happened in Australia during February,” Mr Rout said. “It last got to 50.5 degrees at Mardie on 19 February, 1999.”

Before then, Mardie, which sits between Exmouth and Port Headland, hadn't sweated through a day that hot since records began at the station 138 years ago in 1885.

In comparison to the hottest places on Earth for February, it is set to be 39 degrees in Lodwar in Kenya on Thursday, 39 degrees in Matam in Senegal on Saturday and 40 in Mali in Africa on Tuesday.

Weather map of Western Australia.
Forecasters say a hot air mass over Western Australia is to blame for the spike in summer temps. Source: Weatherzone

Stinking hot air mass to hang around

A mix of weather patterns is being held responsible for the sizzling spike in temperature.

“We’ve got a very hot air mass over the northwest of Western Australia that’s been in place for several days,” Mr Route said. “The tropical cyclone off the west coast last week helped to produce that hot air mass and it’s been locked in place.” The break in the monsoon is also allowing the hot air mass to build up.

The town of Roebourne, a former gold rush town in the Pilbara region.
Temps in Roebourne, a former gold rush town in the Pilbara region, are forecast to hit 47 on Friday. Source: Getty

“The monsoon brings cloud and rain which brings some cooling but since that’s not over WA at the moment it’s allowed the heat to build up,” the meteorologist explained.

While it’s looking like parts of the Pilbara will continue to suffer through days over 40 well into the beginning of March when the monsoon may return, boiling temps are being felt all over the country with heatwave warnings in place for New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.

“We’ve got troughs drawing that heat across the land, bringing it further south as well to the southeast of Australia which is where we are getting the heat from in the southeast,” Mr Rout said.

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