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Residents in parts of Western Australia are sweltering through another scorching day after record-breaking temperatures left one town the hottest place on earth.
Perth was forecast to reach 43 degrees Celsius on Monday, and Geraldton in the Mid West was likely to peak at 46C, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Temperatures reached close to 50C in parts of the Gascoyne and the Mid West on Sunday, ranking as some of the hottest temperatures recorded in Australia.
Carnarvon, 900km north of the Perth, soared to 49.9C, which was believed to be the world's hottest temperature recorded this year and Australia's highest recorded temperature for the summer.
It was the nation's second-hottest February temperature on record and tied as the eighth-hottest temperature recorded in Australia.
About 100km south, Shark Bay Airport reached a maximum temperature of 49.8C, the third hottest February maximum temperature recorded in the nation.
Geraldton climbed to 49.3C, which was the hottest day on record for the town and the third time this month the weather station at the airport has climbed above 46C.
Perth on Sunday reached 42.9C, marking the sixth day at or above 40C in February, which was a new monthly record, according to the bureau, but that mark has since reached seven after it also broke the mark on Monday.
The previous record was four days in 1933, 1985 and 2016.
It was also Perth's eighth day at or above 40C for the summer, which was the second-highest summer tally on record, with 13 days at or above 40C recorded during the summer of 2021-2022.
Power network pushed to the limit
The extreme weather also tested the electricity network, with a record-breaking 4,200 megawatts of power consumed across southern WA on Sunday evening forcing the Australian Energy Market Operator to declare a "state of emergency".
AEMO WA managing director Kate Ryan said the declaration allowed the AEMO to draw on a range of "off-market" options to help manage power supply.
"So the levers that we pulled last night was to ask Western Power to turn on some of those generators, those backup generators that they've got," she told ABC Radio Perth.
Ms Ryan said it was possible the measures could be used again if the heatwave conditions continued.
"There's every chance that a day like today, when we're forecasting again very high electricity demand that if we run out of those market options, we will declare an emergency operating state," she said.
Severe-to-extreme heatwave conditions are expected to continue across much of the state in the coming days, easing mid-week in the south.
It comes as the Climate Council urges Australia to follow Spain's lead and start naming heatwaves so people grasp how lethal and disruptive they can be.
Heatwaves are Australia's deadliest natural hazard and climate change means they are now more frequent, more intense and last longer.
Climate Councillor Kate Charlesworth said heatwaves can be lethal and have claimed more Australian lives since 1890 than bushfires, cyclones, earthquakes, floods and severe storms combined.
"That's often because people underestimate how deadly they can be, or overestimate their own ability to cope in extreme heat," she said.
"Naming heatwaves can raise more public awareness about the dangers, and drive home the urgency of our situation."
Cyclone warning
Ex-Cyclone Lincoln is also barrelling towards Western Australia, bringing heavy rainfall and dangerous flash flooding to towns in its path.
The weather system is located near Lajamanu in the Northern Territory and is heading west towards WA's Kimberley region.
It should reach the WA/NT border later on Monday, moving into the northern parts of the Kimberley in the coming days.
"The risk of rain is ongoing so we have flood watches covering pretty much all of central Northern Territory and the Kimberley as well so that's really just indicating that we do expect to see river rises in response to the rainfall," the Bureau of Meteorology's Miriam Bradbury said.
Avocado crop destroyed
Carnarvon fruit farmer Wes Bassett said the temperature gauge on his property further inland reached 53 degrees.
Mr Bassett grows a range of produce including mangoes and avocados, which had been severely impacted by multiple recent heatwaves in the region.
He said he could lose up to half of his avocados due to heat before they are ready for harvest in winter.
"Each year growing avocados is getting tougher and tougher," he said.
"We've had only one good year, last year, in about eight years. They're more affected by heat or cold or wind than other trees."
Carnarvon shire president Eddie Smith said the heat was "extremely discomforting".
He said the community was prepared for the high temperatures, but people were looking forward to a change in the weather.
"It's a matter of keeping yourself and your pets cool, and waiting for it to cool down," he said.
"Nature is doing as nature does and we've just got to hang on and ride it out."
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