Weipa passes 39 straight days above 36C, and at the tip of Cape York the taps go off every night
The Cape York town of Weipa has now gone 39 consecutive days above 36C, and on Friday it matched its record of 17 straight days above 37C, with the chance to break it today. The heatwave over the Cape and the Gulf Country is heading into a fourth week, and the Bureau of Meteorology expects it to ease only in the latter half of next week.
Live updates
- 7.45am AWSTLatest
Weipa has recorded 39 consecutive days above 36C and could set a new record for consecutive days above 37C today.
- Friday 13 November
Weipa equals its 2024 record of 17 consecutive days above 37C.
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Three things to know
- Weipa set its hottest November temperature in more than half a century of records this month, close to 40C, and has had almost no rain since April.
- In five communities at the very tip of Cape York, including Bamaga and Seisia, water has been switched off from 9pm to 6am for two months because the treatment plant cannot keep up and reservoirs are critically low.
- The monsoon, which usually begins around now, may not arrive until after Christmas, so even after this heatwave eases the far north is likely to stay hotter and drier than normal.
Weipa, on the western coast of Cape York, has now recorded 39 consecutive days above 36C. On Friday it equalled its 2024 record of 17 consecutive days above 37C, and another day above that mark today would set a new record.
A severe heatwave warning has covered parts of Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country since late October. From about 5 November it was upgraded to extreme for roughly a week. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist David Crock said the warning would stay in place through the weekend and into next week, with the heat expected to ease in the latter half of the week, although it will remain hot.
How hot has it been?
Weipa’s November average maximum is 36C, and every day this month has been above it. Earlier this month the town recorded its hottest November day in 54 years of records, at almost 40C. Overnight temperatures have been sitting in the mid twenties, well above normal, so homes barely cool down before the next day’s heat.
Rain has all but stopped. The town has recorded less than a millimetre in November, against a monthly average of about 90mm, and almost nothing since April.
Who is hit hardest?
At the northern tip of the Cape, residents of Bamaga, Injinoo, Umagico, Seisia and New Mapoon have lived with scheduled night-time water outages for two months. The Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council shuts off the supply from 9pm to 6am because its treatment plant cannot meet demand and reservoir levels are critically low. A new plant that would lift capacity by 50 per cent is still waiting for funding.
Cooling is scarce in the region’s public housing. Of about 3,500 social and community homes across Cape York, only 11 have air-conditioning supplied by the Queensland Department of Housing, generally for tenants with health conditions. A $213 million program aims to improve thermal comfort in up to 40,000 social homes by 2031, mostly with fans and ceiling insulation.
Queensland Health has urged people in the warning area to take extra care, and treated one person on Cape York for heat stress in the past week. In Weipa, an animal shelter has changed its opening hours to protect its dogs and volunteers.
Why is the far north so hot?
The heat is not confined to Queensland. A heatwave warning also covers the Top End of the Northern Territory, where Darwin was forecast earlier this week to have its longest run of November days at 35C or more since 1929.
Forecasters point to a combination of El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, which both tend to reduce cloud over northern Australia, along with warmer-than-usual seas around the Top End that heat the air flowing inland. The wet season has been slow to start, and the Bureau expects the monsoon may not arrive until after Christmas. That points to abnormally warm conditions possibly lasting into late December or early January.
What should people in the warning area do?
Drink water regularly, stay out of the sun in the middle of the day, check on older neighbours and anyone living alone, and never leave children or pets in cars. Anyone with dizziness, confusion or a headache that will not go away in the heat should seek medical help, and call 000 in an emergency.
VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.
How we got here
The key moments that brought this story into focus. Open any moment for detail.
April 2026The rain stops
Weipa records almost no rain from April onwards.
Late October 2026Severe heatwave warning
The Bureau issues a severe heatwave warning for parts of Cape York and the Gulf Country.
About 5 November 2026Upgraded to extreme
The warning is raised to extreme for about a week.
November 2026November record
Weipa records its hottest November day in 54 years of records.
13 November 2026Record equalled
Weipa matches its record of 17 straight days above 37C.
What happens next
The heatwave warning for Cape York and the Gulf Country is expected to remain through the weekend and into next week, before easing in the latter half of the week. Weipa could break its record for consecutive days above 37C today. The Bureau's outlook suggests the monsoon may be late, possibly arriving after Christmas, which would keep the far north hot and dry into the new year. Funding for the Northern Peninsula Area's new water treatment plant has not been announced.
Sources
- VNN
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