City sweats in 43.1C, bush tops planet

A TOTAL fire ban has been issued for Perth and surrounding areas as authorities prepare for Saturdays 44C scorcher.

PERTH sweltered through its hottest January day in 23 years yesterday when the mercury peaked at 43.3C.

It was also the hottest day in Perth since Boxing Day 2007, when a maximum of 44.2C was recorded.

But the hottest temperature measured in the state - and, indeed, on the whole planet - was in the Mid-West town of Morowa, 370km north of Perth. The town's 500-plus residents had to contend with a searing 46.9C at 3.45pm.

The electricity grid took a pounding as residents bunkered down with their airconditioning cranked up.

Western Power said electricity demand peaked at 3733 megawatts at 4.45pm. The all-time record remains at 4028 megawatts, which was recorded two years ago.

A spokeswoman said 2000 customers were without power when it was switched off for safety reasons because of the bushfire at Jolimont.

There were a few outages elsewhere but the spokeswoman said the grid was largely trouble-free.

"Aircon", "#melting" and "#44degrees" were topics trending on Twitter, according to Trendsmap Perth.

The Department of Health said that there had been no heat-related admissions to Perth's hospitals.

The second day's play of the women's Ashes Test went ahead at the WACA with drinks breaks every 40 minutes.

Megan Schutt and Nicole Bolton from the Australian women's cricket team cool off. Source: News Limited

Players were given ice towels, Gatorade slushies and more regular ice baths.

While some sought comfort in airconditioned shopping centres, others went further.

Roiry Tipene emailed PerthNow: "My husband's idea of keeping HIMSELF cool - went and got some aircon aluminium insulation tubing, taped it around the aircon unit and jumped in, instant relief!"

Surf lifesavers were kept busy at metropolitan beaches throughout the day.

Surf Life Saving WA recorded 24 rescues, 98 first aids and 467 preventative actions.

Three children were taken to hospital with suspected spinal injuries after hitting their heads on sandbars.

More than 1000 hardy competitors completed the latest round of the Telstra triathlon series in Armadale.

Organisers put on extra aid stations and made showers and ice available to the recovering competitors.

The Bureau of Meteorology described yesterday's heat as "unexceptional".

The all-time January record is 45.8C on January 31, 1991. The record for any month is 46.2C, on February 2, 1991.

The metropolitan area is forecast to suffer a maximum of 41C today, but a sea breeze is expected to bring some respite in the afternoon.

A total fire ban remains in place for Perth and other parts of WA.

Perth Zoo has started handing out monster icy poles and other iced treats to animals to help the animals beat the heat. Picture: Perth Zoo Source: Supplied

Perth Zoo has distributed monster icy poles to its animals, with even the otters enjoying icy poles made from whitebait, blue bait, prawns and mussels.

Perth Zoo has started handing out monster icy poles and other iced treats to animals to help the animals beat the heat. Picture: Perth Zoo Source: Supplied

Even fortunate pool and spa owners were being warned to take precautions, with a reminder to ensure water was properly treated so swimmers avoid catching amoebic meningitis, which thrives in water temperatures between 28 and 40 degrees.

The scorching temperatures will arise as a pocket of very hot air, which has subjected the Pilbara to intense heat this week, begins to move south.

Onslow has suffered through two successive days over 40C, with Paraburdoo topping 40C by 9.30am on Friday.

Mike Burgin, regional director from the Bureau of Meteorology, said Saturday was likely to be Perth's hottest day since Boxing Day, 2007.

"And Perth certainly won't be the worst of it. To the north-east of the city we will get temperatures up to 46, 47 degrees,'' he said.

Ascot race meeting first casualty of heat

ASCOT'S race meeting became the first casualty of tomorrow's scorching 44C day as Perth looks for ways to beat the heat.

Perth Racing has put its hot weather contingency plan in place and moved Ascot's scheduled Saturday race meeting to Sunday.

Race times for the Ascot meeting have been revised and entry to the racecourse on Sunday will be free.

The meeting will be broadcast on SKY Racing 1, while Geraldton's race meeting, also on Sunday, will now be shown on SKY Racing 2.

Surf Life Saving WA has warned beachgoers to take extra care. Source: News Limited

Take care on Perth beaches

As the mercury climbs tomorrow, Surf Life Saving WA expects beaches to be packed and is urging people to take extra care.

It has been a busy start to the Surf Life Saving season since patrols began in October, with 696 rescues, 1207 first-aid treatments and an additional 5827 actions taken to prevent incidents.

There have also been four coastal drowning deaths at unpatrolled spots.

Surf Life Saving WA community safety manager Chris Peck said it was crucial that beach-goers swam between the red and yellow flags, and followed the advice of lifesavers.

He said people also needed to be "beach safe'' by supervising children, having aquatic skills, knowing first aid and CPR, and using appropriate safety gear and planning for emergencies.

"It is also vital that in hot conditions beach-goers regularly apply sunscreen, keep hydrated and remember that consumption of alcohol impairs physical responses and decision-making processes, and anyone that has consumed alcohol should not enter the water,'' Mr Peck said.

All major Perth beaches will be patrolled by Surf Life Saving services and Wesfarmers Lifesaver Jet-Ski teams over the weekend, as well as aerial surveillance between Yanchep and Mandurah by the Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter.

Sunday won't provide much relief, with an expected top of 39C but the weather shapes up nicely from Monday with expected tops in the low 30 for the first half of the week.

The beach is expected to be a popular place as Perth tries to beat the heat tomorrow.

Back-to-back 48C days for Onslow

IT didn't quite reach 50C yesterday but it's unlikely the good folk of Learmonth and Onslow really noticed the difference as the mercury maxed at over 48C.

The Pilbara's mega heatwave continued yesterday - at Onslow Airport, almost 1400km north of Perth, the temperature reached 48.2C at about 12.30pm.

Learmonth Airport, near Exmouth and about 1250km north of Perth, was fractionally behind, recording a high of 48.1 just before 2.30pm.

The Bureau of Meteorology has been unable to obtain information from Emu Creek, where it was forecast to reach 49C and possibly threaten 50C.

Onslow has roasted through two of its hottest days on record, with temperatures soaring to 48.7C yesterday, closely followed by today's 48.2C.

Today, Learmonth had the highest maximum in the Pilbara, peaking at 46.9C just after 2.30pm, while the mercury reach 45C in Paraburdoo.

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