Automated newsroom of weather-au.com · Published · Updated · 3 min read
A heatwave is building: 7 days in a row at 30 °C or more, with a maximum of 42.2 °C in Cloncurry (Queensland), from 30 October 2026 to 5 November 2026. It is the duration, more than the peak, that wears down the body and the infrastructure.
The figures
66 cities tracked by weather-au.com in Australia exceed the 30 °C threshold for this phenomenon. The most affected is Cloncurry (Queensland) with 42.2 °C on 4 November 2026. Other cities affected: Tennant Creek, Ngukurr and Doomadgee. The event is expected from 30 October 2026 to 5 November 2026. These are model forecasts for the city's grid point, not measurements.
Cities affected
| City | Elevation | Day | Max temperature (°C) | Warmest minimum (°C) | Monthly normal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloncurry | 197 m | 4 November 2026 | 42.2 | 28.2 | 36.6 | +5.6 °C |
| Tennant Creek | 364 m | 4 November 2026 | 42.2 | 29.4 | 36.8 | +5.4 °C |
| Ngukurr | 31 m | 3 November 2026 | 42.0 | 29.3 | 37.5 | +4.5 °C |
| Doomadgee | 48 m | 5 November 2026 | 41.2 | 26.5 | 37.0 | +4.2 °C |
| Winton | 188 m | 3 November 2026 | 41.2 | 28.2 | 35.9 | +5.3 °C |
| Longreach | 192 m | 3 November 2026 | 41.0 | 24.5 | 35.0 | +6.0 °C |
| Mount Isa | 363 m | 3 November 2026 | 40.5 | 27.3 | 35.7 | +4.8 °C |
| Jabiru | 29 m | 1 November 2026 | 40.4 | 26.4 | 36.4 | +4.0 °C |
| Healy | 362 m | 3 November 2026 | 40.2 | 27.8 | 35.7 | +4.5 °C |
| Katherine | 110 m | 3 November 2026 | 39.7 | 26.3 | 36.4 | +3.3 °C |
| Katherine East | 109 m | 3 November 2026 | 39.7 | 26.3 | 36.4 | +3.3 °C |
| Katherine South | 111 m | 3 November 2026 | 39.7 | 26.3 | 36.3 | +3.4 °C |
Timeline
For Cloncurry, the table gives the day-by-day forecast over 7 days. The most marked day is 4 November 2026, with 42.2 °C. The quantity shown is the forecast maximum and minimum temperature, day by day. The model resolves hours only over 72 hours: for an event that spans several days or is expected later, the daily forecast is the most reliable.
MaximumMinimum
| Day | Maximum | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 30/10 | 32.1 | 23.3 |
| 31/10 | 35.5 | 23.5 |
| 01/11 | 35.5 | 24.0 |
| 02/11 | 38.0 | 24.0 |
| 03/11 | 40.6 | 26.3 |
| 04/11 | 42.2 | 28.2 |
| 05/11 | 38.2 | 27.4 |
The map
The map locates the most affected cities in Australia (at most 12). Where several dots touch, the event is widespread; an isolated dot means a local event, caused by terrain or by a nearby lake or sea.
Historical context
No long climate series is attached to this phenomenon for Cloncurry: no nearby official station provides a comparable daily record in this site's data. The comparison is therefore limited to the city's 1991–2020 normal where one exists. A historical rank is shown only when a nearby reference station can place the value, rather than an invented ranking.
In Cloncurry, the 1991–2020 normal for November is 36.6 °C; the forecast value differs from it by +5.6 °C.
What it means
The threshold of 30 °C by day, or 20 °C by night, used here is deliberately demanding: a night at 20 °C or more stops the body from recovering, and three days in a row add up the strain. In Cloncurry the forecast maximum is 42.2 °C and the warmest minimum 28.2 °C.
What to do
- Drink regularly, even if you are not thirsty, and avoid alcohol and physical effort between noon and 4 pm; check on elderly people and young children.
- Close shutters and curtains on the sunny side by day, and air the house at night and early morning, when the outside air is cooler than inside.
- Never leave a child or a pet in a vehicle, even for a few minutes: the cabin passes 50 °C within a quarter of an hour in the sun.
Related pages
This page is a snapshot of the forecast of 30 October 2026. It is not changed afterwards, even if the model moves on: up-to-date forecasts are on the city pages linked on this page.
Method and limits
The figures in this article are computed automatically from the Open-Meteo forecasts for the cities tracked by weather-au.com. An article is written only if a precise threshold is crossed (at least 3 days in a row at 30 °C or more, or 3 nights in a row at 20 °C or more), at most 2 times a week per country, and never twice for the same event. Forecasts are recomputed three times a day, so an event can be spotted up to eight hours late. A forecast is not a measurement and does not replace official warnings: check the official warnings (Bureau of Meteorology) before any decision.