The ACT is forecast to have its equal hottest day in almost a year, with heatwave conditions tipped to stick around for most of the week.
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The temperature is forecast to hit 35 degrees on Wednesday, making it Canberra's equal hottest day since February 1 at the height of last summer's bushfires when the mercury reached a top of 42.
A top of 35 was also reached on November 28. Tuesday reached a high of 33.7 at 3.41pm.
Meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology Alex Majchrowski said while hot and dry days were expected during the coming week, some relief was expected in that time due to relatively low minimum temperatures during the heatwave.
"The minimums will be around the mid-to-high teens," he said.
"However, the worst night could be Wednesday night leading into Thursday with the minimum being only 19 degrees, so it could be quite uncomfortable."
Thursday is forecast to have a top of 34 degrees, while Friday was tipped to drop to a maximum of 29, with top similar temperatures expected over the weekend.
Mr Majchrowski said the warm spell in Canberra was due to a high-pressure system causing warm winds.
"That's extended along the NSW coastline and that's helping to bring in a northerly airmass from the interior," Mr Majchrowski said.
"A southerly will help cool parts of the coast, but Canberra will remain hot due to the north to north-westerlies that the front will continue to bring in.
"It will be more a dry heat."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Canberrans trying to beat the heatwave this week are set to benefit from a COVID-19 shutdown, with a refurbished Phillip Ice Rink set to welcome people keen to escape the rising temperatures.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced many to reconsider how they cool off in summer, with public pools requiring bookings for a limited number of people per allocated timeslot.
But there was a silver lining to a virus shutdown in March for the ice rink. Manager John Raut turned off his ice machines at the height of the pandemic and refurbished the rink's flooring.
The centre reopened last month and Canberrans have turned to a winter tradition as a coronavirus-summer alternative.
"We get a couple of hundred people through here each day on a busy day," Mr Raut said.
"There's been a lot of people who have come through who are new to ice skating and are having their first experience out there on the ice.
"... When we closed down, we couldn't continue with just leaving the ice machines running, because they're $5000 a week in energy costs.
"But we then found that drainage points in the floor for the water had been concreted over by contractors and water got into the insulation."
Since the reopening and refurbishment, the rink has been running three public sessions a day for people seeking a way to cool off.
"There have been lots of young adults and kids but we've also had quite a few seniors come in to have a skate," Mr Raut said.
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Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
