Geraldton residents take to the beach to cool off as city records equal hottest day on record at 49.3C

Geraldton has sweated through its equal hottest day on record on Monday, with the mercury soaring close to 50C, the Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed. At 2.02pm on Monday, the mercury reached 49.3C in Geraldton, equalling the maximum temperature recorded on February 18, 2024. Meteorologist Grace Abbott confirmed the temperature also smashed the previous January record. “The previous January record before this event was 47.7C and that occurred in 1954, so a very hot January temperature,” she said. “This event is caused by a west coast trough which is dragging lots of very hot air from inland parts to the coast, which affects most coastal locations with Geraldton being one of them.” Looking ahead, Ms Abbott said the bureau expected the warmer weather would continue over the next couple of months. “It does appear in February and March much of the west coast is expecting an above median maximum temperature,” she said. In Geraldton, it appeared most residents tried to stay indoors out of the heat, with some of Geraldton’s beaches looking noticeably sparse. However, others took to the Aquarena, the Foreshore Waterpark, and Town Beach to stay cool. Preston Wall brought his family down from Mullewa for the day to beat the heat. He said it was a regular thing to do for him and his family, but was glad to be keeping cool at the foreshore. “Most Mondays we try to get over to Geraldton and come to the beach, it normally gets pretty hot in summer,” he said. “The pool is shut on Monday in Mullewa, it’s pretty hot so we come here to cool off.” In the Mid West, Badgingarra (46.2C), Morawa (45.8C) Mount Magnet (43.6C), and Meekatharra were among the hottest areas according to BOM. Carnarvon in the Gascoyne reached 36.6C on Monday morning, but felt the scorching temperatures on Sunday with a top of 45.9C.