Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AUSTRALIA SET ANOTHER record for its hottest day ever for a second straight day, with an average national temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius, a full degree higher than the previous mark, officials said today.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the new nationally averaged maximum was reached Wednesday, topping the 40.9 degrees hit on Tuesday, which beat the previous record of 40.3 C in January 2013.
As the heatwave continued, today also saw the highest December temperature ever reached in Australia when the West Australian town of Eucla hit 49.8 degrees Celsius.
The previous hottest day in December was 49.5 degrees celsius in Birdsville, Queensland, in 1972.
The heatwave has exacerbated an unprecedented, drought-fueled series of bushfires ravaging large areas of Australia.
Deaths and homes destroyed
Hundreds of bushfires have been raging across Australia for months, including a “mega-blaze” burning north of Sydney, the country’s biggest city.
Smoke from the fires has engulfed Sydney, raising air pollution to hazardous levels in an event leading doctors have labelled a “public health emergency”.
At least three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of land has been torched across Australia, with six people killed and about 700 homes destroyed.
Scientists say the blazes have come earlier and with more intensity than usual due to global warming and a prolonged drought that has left the land tinder dry and many towns running out of water.
The fires have sparked climate protests targeting the conservative government, which has resisted pressure to address the root causes of global warming in order to protect the country’s lucrative coal export industry.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
This has implications for Europe. We can fully expect heatwaves across the continent again this summer.
@Paraic: hope we get some here last summer was s h t except for a few days here and there
@Gerard Heery: Good man Gerard. Might I recommend that you head to Salthill car park?
Yet Im still amazed at the amount of Australian climate change deniers I come across in the online comment sections
@LynchTrea: Maybe this is nature’s gentle reminder?
Continue like this and millions of Australians will become refugees.
I wonder is there would be some nasty little island somewhere to “host” them…
@Mark V: are you referring to Tasmania? I wouldn’t call it nasty at all. Much like Ireland actually
@LynchTrea: Suggest you have a look here
https://realclimatescience.com/2019/12/new-video-fakest-day-on-record/
@John Kennedy: does that come with complementary tinfoil hat?
@John Kennedy: The video lied, it says temperatures in Sydney on December 17th weren’t high, but that’s because the heatwave hit Sydney on December 18th and 19th. The peak temperature at Sydney Airport on December 19th was 42.8 Celsius (108 f).
@Mark V: Nope, just comes with the facts.
@David Jordan: Here are some more facts
Heat records by state Town Temperature Date
SA Oodnadatta 50.7C January 2, 1960
WA Mardie 50.5C February 19, 1998
NSW Menindee 49.7C January 10, 1939
Queensland Birdsville 49.5C December 24, 1972
Victoria Hopetoun 48.8C February 7, 2009
Northern Territory Finke 48.3C January 1-2, 1960
Tasmania Scamander 42.2C January 30, 2009
@John Kennedy: how can anyone trust “facts” from someone who struggles with the meaning of average national temperature
@John Kennedy: it should be pointed out that the present records are for the hottest “”"December”"” temperatures on record. They still have January and February to go….
“As the heatwave continued, today also saw the highest December temperature ever reached in Australia when the West Australian town of Eucla hit 49.8 degrees Celsius.
The previous hottest day in December was 49.5 degrees celsius in Birdsville, Queensland, in 1972.”
@LynchTrea: Not a cc denier but interesting that the previous record was 1972?
@muirhill121: Then don’t spread disinformation. The previous record was the day before. Before that it was January 2013.
It’s the nights that get to you. Been living in Oz for almost 20 years now and only got aircon about 3 years ago. When you have weeks on end where it doesn’t get below 25 degrees day or night, and gets up to 46 some days, it’s really horrible. It’s those days you can’t wait to get to work to cool down, and you leave as early as you can in the morning (between 4-5 am) and return about 7-8pm and pretty much go straight to bed to do it all again. That’s how I managed it anyway. That and bringing an ice pack to bed with me. No joke.
@Jonathan Nolan: …And you could fry an egg on the shtones here, of you had a shtone, and Sally O’Brien and the way she might look at ya. ; p
@Jonathan Nolan: my wife is as cold as ice. Next time you have a heat wave I’ll send her over. Guaranteed frost everywhere she goes!!
@Barra O’Neill: sounds good, but not sure what my own wife would make of it
@Paraic: I’ve fried an egg on the bonnet of a car before. I didn’t have a pint of Harp though.
Felt 40 degrees during the summer in Bosnia with no sea breeze, too hot to even describe, can’t imagine packing another 10 onto that!
@Dónal O’Leary: I had nearly 45 degrees in holland with no air con, it was horrible
@Motherofthree: The highest ever recorded temperature in the Netherlands was 40.4 degrees Celsius in Gilze-Rijen?
@Ryan Kelly: probably left the oven door open in the Kitchen !
@Dónal O’Leary: The worst time is when you have 40 degrees during the day and 28-29 during night-time. No hope for cooling the house. Pure torture.
Here in Melbourne. Have the Christmas party tomorrow. Free bar from 12-4. Hitting 43 degrees. I’m sure it will end well
Highest “AVERAGE” temperature…..
Meaning? It happened to be hotter in most of Australia. Why sensationalise these mathematics.
While I have every sympathy for Australians, they voted for this. The same pattern is repeating around the globe. It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-election-energy-idUSKCN1SP06F
Don’t worry Australia, Ireland is increasing its carbon tax, Your welcome.
Maybe a few windmills & some new taxes will put nature in its place.
Its not a good thing. If this continues for oz the place will be a desert in a few decades.
have your say