Rising humidity will exacerbate heat
BRACE yourselves – the “icky factor” is on the rise and with it will come another heatwave.
Expected temperatures for this week will be less than comfortable with minimums of 24-25C and tops of 35-37C.
“The minimums and maximums will be above average,” meteorologist Lauren Patti said. “A few days of that and we will have a low intensity heatwave.”
However, the hot spell is not expected to reach the intensity of recent weeks.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts rising humidity and dew point to accompany clear skies until at least tomorrow.
“It’s what I call the ‘icky factor’ – the dew point will increase and get pretty sticky,” Ms Patti said.
“We had a lot of rainfall in recent times but Tropical Cyclone Owen has moved offshore and the rain has moved south.”
Relief is on the way with another trough headed to Cairns by midweek.
“There is another trough moving through by Wednesday with the chance of showers and the odd storm,” Ms Patti said. “Sea breezes will come and keep down the temperature.”
Forty-degree temperatures as endured last month are not common in the Far North.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Cairns was 43.2C in 1923. Since then, there have been only three instances of recorded temperatures above 40C. The hottest day in the past five years was on January 29 – 38.6C in 2013.
For Mareeba, the highest temperature in the past five years was this year, exactly 38C on January 3.
Innisfail has higher monthly mean maximum temperatures than Cairns according to the bureau, with its hottest day 38.1C on January 27, 2013.