Environment & Energy
Related: About this forum1/8/13 - Australia's Hottest National Average Temperature Ever Recorded - 40.33C (104.59F)
Yesterday Australia recorded its highest average temperature yet: 40.33 degrees Celsius (104.59 Fahrenheit). The nation has been sweltering under an unprecedented summer heatwave that has spawned wildfires across the nation, including on the island of Tasmania where over 100 houses were engulfed over the weekend. Temperatures are finally falling slightly today, providing a short reprieve before they are expected to rise again this weekend.
For six days, from January 2nd-7th, the nation's average high has been above 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit). Noted meteorologist, Jeff Masters, writes at his blog that this is "the first time that has happened since record keeping began in 1910 [in Australia]." The extreme heat has prompted Australia Bureau of Meteorology's to add a new color to their mapsdark purpleto mark temperatures between 50 and 54 degrees Celsius (122-129.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, warned: "Whilst you would not put any one event down to climate change, weather doesn't work like that, we do know over time that as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events and conditions."
Gillard's comments were buoyedand even strengthenedby experts. "The current heatwavein terms of its duration, its intensity and its extentis now unprecedented in our records," David Jones with the Bureau of Meteorology told The Age. "Clearly, the climate system is responding to the background warming trend. Everything that happens in the climate system now is taking place on a planet which is a degree hotter than it used to be."
EDIT
http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0109-hance-australia-heatwave.html
Mdterp01
(144 posts)FML!!! I'm leaving Friday to go to Melbourne to attend the Australian Open and do some other vacationing/R&R stuff. Now I've been before during this time when its been very hot, but they said its so hot that Apple gadgets have warnings coming up that they won't work because they have to cool down. Thats ridiculous!!! Oh but...global warming doesn't exist. Its just "cyclical", or "God hugging us tighter" a la Bill Maher.
dhill926
(16,380 posts)gonna be brutal for those on the outside courts. Hope you're able to get inside.
ROBROX
(392 posts)I hope they can cool it for the rest of their summer. I do not like the California summers which are hot and dry.
AldoLeopold
(617 posts)Its not because of the proximity to the sun you fucking dumb piece of shit. Its because of the 400+ppm of CO2 in the troposphere/stratosphere. It should be cooling if you subscribe to the Melankovich cycles which is what you're talking about. Just fucking grow up, fucking shit ball.
You're so fucking stupid it makes my head hurt. I swear they grow stupid people in Texas. Its endemic to the population.