Australia, record heat with temperatures above 40 degrees
Environment — di Lorenzo Brenna
In southern Australia temperatures are rising to sixteen degrees above average, increasing the risk of bushfires.
Australia, record heat with temperatures above 40 degrees
In southern Australia temperatures are rising to sixteen degrees above average, increasing the risk of bushfires.
In many regions of Australia, particularly in the south of the country, extraordinarily high temperatures have been recorded over the past few weeks, and forecasts suggest they could rise further in the coming days. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting new heatwaves with serious bushfire risks over the next two days.
A summer scorcher expected on Friday! Temperatures 44 to 46 deg in the north, 40 -42 in the south. A gusty southwest change late Friday leading to a cooler weekend. Check the forecast here: ow.ly/VJ0h50k4Dp8 #MelbWeather
Unusual temperatures
On Thursday and Friday, temperatures will exceed forty degrees in South Australia and the state of Victoria, with peaks of forty-six degrees in Mildura, a city in the north-west of Victoria, recording up to sixteen degrees above the average for the month of January. In Melbourne, temperatures exceeded thirty degrees for nine consecutive days, producing the longest heatwave on record since 1856.
Forests at risk
The exceptional heat could cause fires in the forests of Australia and Tasmania, already devastated two years ago by severe blazes that burned more than 42,000 hectares of fields and forests home to some of the tallest and oldest trees in the world, the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans).
A year of fire
The heatwave that struck Australia at the end of December was the culmination of a year of above-average temperatures for the country. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, which is due to publish a report in January, 2018 will prove to be one of the five hottest years ever recorded in Australia.
Cyclone danger
As if that were not enough, Cyclone Penny, which caused heavy rain and some flooding a few days ago in Queensland, could intensify to become a category 1 or 2 cyclone and could strike other coastal areas.
Koalas are thirsty
The abnormal heat poses a threat not only to people but also to Australian wildlife. According to reports from a Queensland radio broadcaster, ABC Far North, the heatwave is said to have killed more than 23,000 spectacled flying foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus). Also making a major impact is a video that went viral, filmed in Strathmerton, a small town in the state of Victoria, showing a thirsty koala drinking water from a bottle offered to it by a woman.