But in the backyard of a Bogan Street home, a local resident was seeing a much different temperature on her thermometer.

Margaret Allen’s thermometer rose as high as 51 degrees last Friday, and she has the evidence to prove it.

In the 20 years she’s been living in the neighbourhood, she said she’s never seen it that hot.

“I’ve been recording the temperature in my backyard for five years,” she said.

“It was hot [on Friday], it was hot in the kitchen and I was curious to look at the thermometer.

“I was surprised when I saw it, I had to take a photo, I’ve never seen it so hot.” 

Margaret and her son Alan Parker – like most residents – spent the day inside their home under the air conditioner.

Margaret also brought her dogs, Maltease Crosses Bella and Kasey and her Australian Wide Hair Cross Brax indoors, slipping ice cubes into their drinking bowls to keep them cool.

Parkes residents sweltered through three of its hottest days in February so far last weekend.

Temperatures began to climb from Thursday, February 8 when the BOM recorded 37.6 degrees at the Parkes Airport weather station.

The hottest day was Saturday at 41.7 degrees – which is also the hottest day so far for February – followed by Sunday at 39.7.

So far Parkes has had 12 days of temperatures higher than 30 degrees this month, seven of which were higher than 35 degrees.

It’s been very dry too – except for the 0.2 of a millimetre dropping on February 11, we have had no rain any other day.

And if the rain clouds stay away for the rest of the month, that 0.2mm figure will equal Parkes’ lowest rainfall record in history made in 2016.

With the average temperature for Parkes this month being 33.6 degrees – in comparison, it’s been slightly cooler than this time last year.

February 2017’s highest temperature – and the highest on Parkes’ 21-year record – was 45.9 degrees on February 11.

Last February’s average temperature was 35 degrees and the month consisted of 23 days above 30 degrees, 13 days above 35 and five days above 40.

There were 26 days of no rain, with the BOM recording just 1.6mm in total last February.

It was also a lot warmer 12 months ago in December and January than the last two months.

The hottest day in January this year was 43.2 degrees on January 7 – the fourth highest January temperature on record for Parkes. 

But it was no match for January 13’s temperature in 2017, 44.1 degrees, the current January maximum temperature record.

The average highest temperature last month was 35.2 degrees, whereas it was 36 degrees in January 2017.

This year Parkes experienced 28 days of temperatures higher than 30 degrees, with 15 of those above 35 degrees and five above 40.

We had no rain for 24 of the 31 days but the monthly total came to 35.2mm.

Last January (2017), there were 30 days above 30 degrees, 17 days above 35 and five days above 40.

There were 23 days of no rain with a monthly total of 21.8mm.

December peaked at 40.6 degrees on December 19, which was higher than December 2016’s hottest day – 39.4 degrees on December 29.

The last time temperatures climbed above 40 degrees during December was four years ago when it reached 41.5 degrees on December 22, 2013.

But that’s not the highest for a December day in Parkes, with the town’s highest temperature all-time record being 42 degrees on December 31, 2005.

December’s average temperature, however, was 32.1 degrees compared to 2016’s average for the same month at 32.8.

And December 2017 had 24 days higher than 30 degrees and 10 days above 35, while December 2016 had 23 days higher than 30 and 13 days above 35.

December 2017 also had 20 days of no rain but still managed a 114mm total, mostly thanks to the heavy downpours in Parkes during the first two days of the month, totalling 98.2mm.