Wet-Bulb Weekend Ahead For Melbourne: Expect 35C+ Temps & 20C Dew Point For 1st Time

The current forecasts are for tops of 29 and 33 for the city on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the city can expect a scorching 39 degrees, with some suburbs possibly climbing into the low-40s. "I wouldn't want to be playing the men's tennis final on Sunday," said Chris Godfred, a senior bureau forecaster, referring to the Australian Open event. "It won't be very pleasant."

Along with the high temperatures, the dew point - the temperature at which air becomes saturated with water - could rise into the low 20s, making it harder for the body to lose heat through perspiring.

Among comparisons could be a period in 2011, when tropical-like deluges flooded parts of Victoria and made conditions very sticky in Melbourne. "What we're forecasting for over the weekend would approach those values though probably not exceed them," Mr Godfred said.

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Jamie Goldie, a researcher at the Climate Change Research Centre based at the University of NSW, said projected dew points at the weekend combined with the temperature forecasts suggest conditions could be as severe as those on Black Saturday in 2009 - the state and city's hottest day. The humidity and heat this weekend could produce a "killer combo", particularly for those out in the sun, he said. The so-called wet bulb globe temperature gauge, which takes into account temperature, humidity, sunshine and even wind, could approach or exceed the highest levels recorded in Melbourne, Mr Goldie said.

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http://www.theage.com.au/environment/weather/killer-combo-of-heat-and-humidity-lining-up-for-melbourne-this-weekend-20180125-h0o208.html