THE heat was on again in the Far North yesterday, with temperatures hitting up to 37.1C for the second day running.

A "break period'' in the seasonal wet weather brought with it a second day of temperatures 6C above the monthly average and forecasters are expecting the trend to continue until Friday.

"We are looking at maximum temperatures of about 36C for the next few days with the ocassional thunderstorm in the afternoon,'' weather bureau forecaster Andrew Mostyn said yesterday.

And with a major communications meltdown taking many households offline, children across the region spent the last day of their school holiays the old fashioned way: in the great outdoors.

At the Cairns Esplanade Skate Park, Eli Hunter, 12, was among the many youngsters salvaging their last day of freedom before heading back to school.

His mates Jackson Manning and Jackson Gunner were planning a session of Call of Duty on XBOX Live before the internet cut out.

"We figured we would come down for a ride on our BMXs,'' Jackson Manning said.

He estimated more than 50 people were at the skate park in the morning before temperatures started to peak.

"We'll probably head somewhere with a bit of shade,'' Eli said about 1pm, when the mercury hit its maximum of 37.1C.

Swimming spots such as Crystal Cascades were popular among those trying to cool off.

Swimmers at Cairns Esplanade Lagoon were forced to leave the water when it shut for an hour at 1.30pm because of fears of thunderstorms.

Mr Mostyn said the hot conditions were part of a "break period'' in the monsoonal weather.

He said the monsoonal trough that usually brought wet weather had been taken south by ex-cyclone Oswald.

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