A late burst of summer is set to sweep across south-east Australia over the weekend, sending records tumbling and temperatures soaring well into the 30s.
The autumn heatwave will hit Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra on Friday, with all four cities likely to scorch through the hottest April day on record next week.
A low pressure trough is transporting a pool of stifling warm air sitting over inland Australia, which will be pushed to the southern states over the coming days.
A late burst of summer is set to sweep across south-east Australia over the weekend. Pictured is Sydney’s Coogee Beach
Temperatures across the country are expected to soar well into the 30s over the coming days

A low pressure trough is transporting a pool of stifling warm air sitting over inland Australia. A woman is seen by a rock pool at Coogee Beach
Parts of Sydney will hit 32C on Friday, with temperatures expected to linger around that mark for at least the next seven days.
If the mercury climbs to 33.2 over the next week, it will go down as the Harbour City’s highest temperature on record this late in the season.
Melbourne is expected to see temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s by Sunday and on Tuesday could see the hottest April day since records began.
Adelaide could exceed 30C for five days straight from Saturday, which hasn’t happened during April for more than a decade, according to Weatherzone.

Melbourne is expected to see temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s over the weekend. The city’s St Kilda beach is pictured

Parts of Sydney will hit 32C on Friday, with temperatures expected to linger around that mark for at least the next seven days. Bondi Beach is pictured

Melbourne (pictured) could could see the hottest April day since records began on Tuesday
Tuesday could be the hottest Autumn day in Adelaide’s history with the 34.4C record in danger of being eclipsed.
Canberra will be hot and sunny all weekend with temperatures in the low 30s. The city will need to reach 32.7C to break its April record, which could happen early next week.
Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Iris is no longer wreaking havoc on Queensland’s coast, but the unpredictable storm may still linger offshore for several days.
The Bureau of the Meteorology said Iris would weaken from a category one system to below cyclone intensity on Thursday night, before turning and tracking north.

Adelaide (Glenelg Beach is pictured) could exceed 30C for five days straight from Saturday, which hasn’t happened during April for more than a decade

A pool of stifling warm air sitting over inland Australia will be pushed to the southern states over the coming days. A woman is seen cooling off at Bondi Beach last weekend
Coastal communities and islands have been battered with 100km/h winds and heavy rain for a number of days this week.
Residents in the Whitsunday region were initially told to abandon their homes but later urged to stay inside as the then-category two system passed over the area.
Brisbane will be mostly sunny over the weekend and into next week, with temperatures in the high 20s expected.
In the west, Perth will be mostly sunny and 29C on Friday, before the mercury falls to the mid 20s over the weekend.
Darwin will be typically hot with the chance of a thunderstorm, while Hobart will see showers with temperatures in the high teens to low 20s.

Thousands are expected to soak up the warm sun rays st Sydney’s beaches over the weekend

If the mercury climbs to 33.2 over the next week in Sydney, it will go down as the city’s highest temperature on record this late in the season.