Brayden Squiers and Ethan Lucas of Grafton cooled off in the Clarence River at Grafton, during the twilight hours on Sunday when the temperature was still hovering around the 40 degree mark. Image: Lynne Mowbray. The mercury soared across the Clarence Valley over the weekend, particularly on Sunday when Grafton recorded an official high of 45.8 degrees at 3.30pm – the previous high was 44.6, recorded in January of 2004. However, anecdotal evidence posted on social media sites by people around the valley showed their thermometers’ capacity was exceeded, at least when placed in direct sunlight. Meanwhile, down on the coast at Yamba, the top temperature recorded was 32.6 degrees at 2pm on Sunday. Additional mages: Contributed