MILDURA on Friday recorded its hottest December day since the establishment of the airport weather station in 1946 – but the year-round record proved elusive.

The summer scorcher hit 46.8 degrees at Mildura Airport at 3.49pm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

That was a mere 0.1 degree shy of the all-time hottest temperature recorded at the site, when in January 1990 the mercury rea...