The Bureau of Meteorology today confirmed the town recorded a high of 39.2 degrees on Friday, beating the old 38.9 degree record.

Most people believed we have missed the March 10, 2005 record by 0.1 degrees but once the records were examined today, the truth became clear.

BOM's website updates Katherine temperatures every 30 minutes, others every 10 minutes and some others are a little less clear.

But in a time gap between these online readings, the temperature gauge bounced from 38.8 degrees after 4pm on Friday and up into record country for a short time.

More reading:

Worst I have seen

Dismal wet season is bad for year ahead

It hovered around 38 degrees for more than half an hour.

So for the record books.

"Katherine (Tindal RAAF) recorded its highest March temperature on Friday at 39.2°C; the previous record was 38.9°C in 2005," the bureau said today.

It has continued a wretched wet season for the Top End, the continued run of hot days reminds most of build-up conditions.

As well the lack of rain is a popular topic of conversation. for some it is the worst wet season they have seen.

The bureau is tipping a monsoon trough may form off the north coast this week sometime and may still influence the poor wet season.

Katherine's forecast is for continued heat, up around the 38 degree mark, and the chance for storms. Later in the week looks best for rain.

There has been no substantial rain in Katherine for a fortnight, the town averages 162.3mm in March.

The level of the Katherine River at the railway bridge is at an astonishing 0.4 of a metre.

The bureau says there's a moderate chance of showers and storms across the Top End today and tomorrow – if storms do form, they are likely to be gusty, and may produce some damaging wind gusts.

"A weak monsoon trough to our north formed at the end of last week, and it is likely to remain offshore for the next week, which means a continuation of monsoon break conditions (isolated showers and storms) for the Top End," a bureau spokeswoman said.

"A weak tropical low has formed near East Timor, but it is not expected to reach tropical cyclone strength for at least the next few days."

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