Perth ends 2012 with 40+C temperatures
THE start of Perth's festive heatwave didn't quite hit the formidable temperature forecast by the Weather Bureau on Thursday.
Despite a forecast top of a scorching 41C, the hottest it got in Perth was 38.3C just before 2:30pm.
Thursday was the beginning of a searing five-day stretch where temperatures are expected to top 40C every day - with 40C on Friday, 41 for Saturday and Sunday, followed by 40C for New Year's Eve on Monday.
The heat is stretching water resources and power consumption, as thousands of people rely on air-conditioning to survive the onslaught.
Though the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the chance of a storm on Thursday evening, it isn't expected to amount to much with just a 30 per cent chance of rain.
Severe thunderstorms have been forecast for the Gascoyne, Central West and Central Wheatbelt.
After Christmas day peaked at 39.6C, the official Perth temperature (Mt Lawley) on Boxing Day was 37.5C, although it hit 40.5C at Perth Airport and a number of suburbs recorded temperatures of 38C or higher.

Heatwave brings fire danger
Perth's heatwave has already sparked several accidental and deliberate fires in the past couple of days, and with the mercury continuing to hover around 40C until the New Year, authorities are warning people to be extra vigilant of spot fires and firebugs.
Children playing with fire crackers are believed to have started a fire that threatened homes in Kenwick, Perth's southeast, last night about 9.30pm.
A Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) spokesman said the blaze started in bush and burnt about two hectares.
In a separate incident, exhaust from a car is believed to have started a fire in Upper Swan, in Perth's northeast, when a man doing fencing work parked his car on dry grass.
About $500,000 damage was caused when a faulty air conditioner started a fire around 12.30am today in Embleton, in Perth's north-east.
One person was believed to have been in the house but they escaped injury.
In Chidlow, a car suspected of being involved in a burnout caught fire at 12.30am, costing $8000 in damage.
Two youths have also been questioned by police over two incidents in which fires were believed to have been deliberately lit.
The first was in Darlington, in Perth's east, at 7pm on Wednesday where witnesses reported hearing an explosive banging sound before a fire was spotted in some scrub.
The second was in South Lake, in Perth's south, about 10pm where tree scrubs and grass were set alight.
The DFES warns that residents need to be careful and aware of potential fire hazards, especially for the remainder of the week as Perth swelters in the heat and more accidental fires are likely.
Surf Life Saving WA has also been busy as many flock to the beach to beat the heat.
Shopping centres were also swamped on Boxing Day and were expected to attract more visitors for the remainder of the week as people attempted to escape the heat with some air conditioning.
From: Perth Now

Perth's high temperatures have prompted the Department of Fire and Emergency Services to renew their calls for people to heed fire alerts.
The maximum temperatures from now through to Sunday are expected to reach the early forties, increasing the risk of a bushfire.
DFES state duty director Chris Arnol says that although emergency crews are well prepared, residents need to make an effort to minimise the risk.
"We are into summer, so we know that we need to be ready," he said.
"The important thing is that bushfire of course is a shared responsibility and we want the residents to stay up to date, keep alert, speak to their neighbours and look at our DFES website."
From ABC News

Shark Attacks
Scientists suspect warmer ocean temperatures are behind rise in shark attacks in western Australia
When ocean temperatures increase, pockets of cold water form close to the store, which can attract sharks. Five people have died in shark attacks in the region in the last year.
A rare ocean heat wave may to be blame for the recent spike in shark attacks in western Australia.
Scientists suggest that a 5-degree rise in water temperature last summer may have sparked the increase in shark activity.
When ocean temperatures rise, pockets of cold water form close to shore, attracting the feared underwater predators, Dr. Rick Fletcher, director of the West Australian Department of Fisheries, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“If there is a relatively smaller area of cooler water inshore, then the sharks could be concentrated in that smaller area," he said.
Fletcher, however, warned that more research needs to be done to know how the heat wave will affect western Australia in the long term.
Five people have died in shark attacks in the region in the last year, a statistic The Australian called “unprecedented” back in July.
From The New York Daily

lot of good info Jenny thanks.