🔥 Australia Burns: Unprecedented Heat Crisis 🌊

World News

Sydney’s CBD experienced its highest temperature in nearly two years as the east coast of New South Wales grappled with its first heatwave of the summer, while fire authorities in Tasmania and New South Wales battled ongoing bushfires. On Friday, temperatures at Observatory Hill in the CBD peaked at 37.8°C, the highest since January 26, 2024, with Penrith Lakes in the city’s west reaching 40.3°C, the hottest day since January 28. The heatwave is expected to peak on Saturday, when temperatures in the CBD are forecast to reach 37°C again, marking the first time since November 2020 that the city has recorded consecutive days of 37°C heat. Penrith is forecast to reach 41°C on Saturday, representing the first time since December 2023 that the area has experienced consecutive days of 40°C heat. Heatwave warnings remain in effect for parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland, while Western Australia’s Pilbara, Kimberley, and North Interior regions have been upgraded to extreme heatwave warnings. Simultaneously, an uncontrolled bushfire at Dolphin Sands in Tasmania’s east caused significant damage, burning 700 hectares, destroying 19 homes, 15 outbuildings, and four vehicles, and damaging 30 power poles. TasNetworks confirmed that some customers could be without power for up to a week. Firefighters issued preparedness warnings for Levendale, 50km north of Hobart, on Friday evening due to concerns about an approaching blaze, but the Tasmanian Fire Service subsequently downgraded the threat and allowed residents to return earlier that day.

Easing the threat posed by a separate fire near Glenlusk, near Hobart, allowed some residents to cautiously return. Due to predicted hot and windy conditions on Saturday, the NSW Rural Fire Service has declared a total fire ban for nine regions, effective at midnight. Simultaneously, a bushfire at Bulahdelah on the NSW mid north coast remained at emergency warning level, while watch and act warnings were in place for a bushfire at Milsons Gully in the Upper Hunter and a grass fire in the Beni area near Dubbo. Across NSW, temperatures reached 31°C in the Sydney CBD and Richmond by 10:00 AM Friday, and 33°C at Olympic Park. Forecasts predict temperatures will again reach the 30s early Saturday. “It’s gotten very hot, very early,” stated Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How. “We’ve had those winds coming from the west really heating things up quite quickly.” Severe heatwave warnings remain in place for the Hunter, metropolitan, Illawarra, central tablelands, and southern tablelands regions. An earlier extreme heatwave warning – indicating the highest level of risk – on the south coast was downgraded on Friday afternoon to a severe warning. The severe heatwave warning for the Snowy Mountains region was cancelled after reaching 39.2°C, with Gosford recording 38.1°C and Cessnock airport 39.7°C. In the far west, temperatures peaked at 39.7°C in Walgett and 40.8°C in Bourke, while other areas of the region recorded highs of 42°C. Australia’s national average annual temperature is approximately 1.5°C higher than in 1910.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Extreme fire danger warnings were in place for areas including Sydney and the Hunter. Forecasters predicted high minimum temperatures across the greater Sydney region on Friday night, with the city expected to remain at 21°C and the west at 23°C. The peak of the heatwave was anticipated on Saturday, when temperatures could climb above 30°C by 9:00 am. “Given the exceptionally hot and unsettled conditions expected for Sydney tomorrow, we’ll also see thunderstorms developing in the early evening,” How explained. “The primary concern will be dry lightning, which has the potential to ignite new fires.” Meanwhile, the Bureau has issued a severe heatwave warning for the Gulf Country in Queensland’s north-west and severe heatwave warnings remain in place for the Daly and Gregory regions of the Northern Territory. The severe heatwave warning for the Tiwi Islands has been cancelled. Western Australia’s Pilbara region was upgraded to an extreme heatwave warning on Friday, and the Kimberley and North Interior regions were also upgraded to this level on Friday afternoon. How stated that areas inland from Broome, including Fitzroy Crossing and the inland Kimberley, were expected to reach 45°C on Friday and Saturday, rising to 46°C on Sunday and Monday. In Victoria, Melbourne experienced cooler temperatures on Friday, but the state’s north, including the Mallee region in the north-west, was forecast to reach the high 30s. The Country Fire Authority has declared a state of total fire ban in this area.

A total fire ban was in effect as a cool change was anticipated to move across the NSW coast from Saturday evening, though it was unlikely to reach Sydney until early Sunday morning, bringing with it some light showers throughout the day. Simultaneously, a cold front was pushing through Victoria and Tasmania on Saturday, bringing showers and thunderstorms, and snow was expected in Tasmania as it descended, with accumulations reaching approximately 1,000 meters by Saturday evening.