WA's Pilbara region could be heading for an Australian temperature record this weekend as extreme heatwave conditions brew temperatures close to 50 degrees Celsius for some towns.
Marble Bar is currently forecast to reach 49C this weekend.
Australia's temperature record for December is 49.9C, recorded at Nullarbor in South Australia on the exact same date in 2019.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Australia was 50.7C at Oodnadatta Airport in South Australia, in January 1960.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Noel Puzey said the region could break the December record in the coming days.
"Marble Bar and that sort of region will give that a good nudge over the next few days, so we may well see a new record for December over the next few days," he said.
Locals brace for scorcher
Even for those accustomed to the heat of the north, the forecast of 49C has raised eyebrows.
Owner of the Marble Bar Roadhouse and Travellers Rest, Lee Anderson, said he had seen plenty of 47C and 48C days predicted, but the current outlook was unusual.
"I've been talking about it just this week, there were a few people coming into the roadhouse saying, 'I can't say I've seen 49C on the forecast before,'" he said
It is a level of unbearable heat that many would steer away from.
But Mr Anderson said the weather in the Pilbara was "so beautiful" for so much of the year, it was worth the few bad days.
Extreme heatwave conditions
A broad area of the Pilbara is set to swelter through extreme heatwave conditions for the next week, with temperatures well over 40C during the day.
It is being exacerbated by overnight temperatures sitting around 30C, providing no relief from the heat.
Mr Puzey said it was above average, even for this time of year.
He urged those in the area to heed the warnings.
"It's much hotter than normal, even through the coastal parts, so be aware and please take the temperatures very seriously," he said.
The heatwave conditions are most intense through to Sunday, for areas stretching from the Dampier Peninsula in the West Kimberley through a large part of the Pilbara.
Mr Puzey said the high temperatures were being driven by a heat trough over the region.
He said with dry air over the region, there has been no storm development to help flush out the heat.
