A climate scientist from a leading Australian university has warned the unseasonably warm May weather in Western Australia and across the nation is a sign of things to come, because of the damage caused by climate change.
Perth has had maximum temperatures in the low 30s and high 20s for much of May, and the forecast is for maximums above 25 degrees Celsius to continue over the next seven days.
A number of regional areas have had unseasonably warm weather, with some experiencing dry spells as well.
"In places in WA we've seen max temps around eight to 10 degrees above normal in the last few days with this more recent spell of heat," said Dr Andrew King from the University of Melbourne.