Australia has broken its own hottest summer record, according to data released by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

The average temperatures of the summer of 2012-13 is now the country's hottest on record, bumping off records registered during the summer of 1997-98. Daytime maximum temperatures likewise bumped off those recorded over the summer of 1982-83.

The average temperatures across the country peaked at 28.6°C, 1.1°C above normal. It surpassed by more than 0.1°C the previous record set in the summer of 1997-98.

The BoM further said a new daytime maximum temperature record has been set at 35.7°C, which is 1.4°C above normal. Versus the 1982-83 record, it was over by 0.2°C.

Of the entire stretch of the summer months, the month of January gave off the most intense heat recorded since 1910. However, observers were keen to say that the entire six months of Australian summer from September 2012 to February 2013 were definitely warmer than the previous high record that was set in 2006-2007.

"By about mid-century, so in about 40 years, you're actually talking about conditions like this becoming normal," Dr Karl Braganza, climate monitoring manager, said.

"It depends on what emissions trajectory we go down, but on those mid to high scenarios, then this certainly would be a taste of things to come."

This year's record maximum temperatures were registered in Sydney and Hobart and 14 other locations.

"Most hot summers it's very hot in the east and cool in the west, or it's hot in the south but cooler than normal in the north, but this year it's been hotter than normal almost everywhere," Blair Trewin, a climatologist at the bureau, said.