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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Guardian staff and Naaman Zhou and Luke Henriques-Gomes (earlier)

South Australia breaks temperature records as Port Augusta hits 49.5C – as it happened

The extreme heatwave forecast map for Thursday. Adelaide’s all-time temperature record has been broken as hot weather sweeps across South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW.
The extreme heatwave forecast map for Thursday. Adelaide’s all-time temperature record has been broken as hot weather sweeps across South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW. Photograph: Bureau of Meteorology

Summary

This blog is wrapping up for the evening, thanks for reading.

While some parts of the country that have sweltered today will get some relief tomorrow, others will heat up. The latest forecast is for a high of 44C in Melbourne, 39C in Canberra and 38C in Penrith in western Sydney (the forecast for Sydney is for a high of 29C). Hobart is expected to reach a high of 37C, Brisbane 32C and Darwin 32C.

SA’s Port Augusta, where it hit a maximum of 49.5C earlier today, will still be very hot – 37C.

Menindee, the site of recent fish kills in western New South Wales, is predicted to reach 48C on Friday.

We will bring you the latest on the Tasmanian bushfires and the ongoing heatwave tomorrow.

The heatwave has been hard on animals and humans alike. This image was sent to us by reader Andrew Correll.

man pours water on kangaroo
A kangaroo gets some relief during Adelaide’s record-breaking heatwave. Photograph: Andrew Correll

The ABC is reporting South Australia’s emergency power generators have been switched on for the first time amid the ongoing heatwave.

It reports: “Temporary diesel power generators owned by the South Australian government have been switched on for the first time, as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) deals with record-breaking heat conditions across SA and Victoria.

“The state government said AEMO ordered the generators to deal with a supply shortfall in Victoria.”

And here’s how far the heat will stretch tonight. There’s still a lot of 40C spots, as of right now, all across the country.

I’m now remembering some ominous words from the mayor of Port Augusta, Brett Benbow, who we spoke to earlier. “[The heat] won’t peak until about 7.30 tonight,” he said. “That heat won’t just disappear, it takes hours.”

For context, the highest temperature ever recorded in Australia is 50.7C, at Oodnadatta airport in South Australia, on 2 January 1960.

At 49.5C, Port Augusta is now equal to the highest ever Queensland temperature, recorded on Christmas Eve 1972 at Birdsville police station, and only 0.2C below the highest NSW temperature – from 10 January 1939 at Menindee post office.

Port Augusta has already beaten the highest temperatures in Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Updated

Port Augusta reaches 49.5C

We’ve already watched Port Augusta – the hottest place in Australia today – break its all-time heat record with 49.1C earlier in the day. The previous record was set just 10 days ago (48.9C).

Now it’s crept up again. Port Augusta has hit 49.5C, as of 4.22pm.

Updated

Hello everyone, Naaman Zhou here, taking over from my colleague Luke.

Some further clarification has come in on Adelaide’s record-breaking heat. It’s even hotter than you thought.

That 46.6C figure comes from the bureau’s official temperature gauge for the city, which is at West Terrace. Other parts of Adelaide, by the bureau’s own calculations, are in fact soaring up past that – but can’t be included as the maximum for Adelaide.

Kent Town, for example, has officially hit 47.4C today.

Updated

Adelaide breaks capital city heat record, reaching 46.6C

The mercury has continued to rise in Adelaide, which can now lay claim to being the hottest capital in Australia – at least for today.

Its peak temperature on Thursday of 46.6 has eclipsed the record held by Melbourne, which reached 46.4C.

A reminder that Melbourne is expected to drop to an “oppressive” 29C tonight. The overnight record is 30.6C.

The bureau has also revised its forecast up to 44C for tomorrow. As it stands, today’s forecast has also been blown out of the water. The top temperature in central Melbourne was 40.4C at 4pm, according to the bureau. It was only expected to reach 36C.

I would not recommend this.

Port Augusta, Australia's hottest place today, hits 49C

All eyes have been on whether Port Augusta, the hottest place in Australia, can break its own record of 48.9C that was set on 15 January.

It appears to have done so. The Bureau of Meteorology’s observations data says the town hit a peak temperature of 49.1C at 3.15pm.

Updated

'I haven't seen conditions at this level': Tassie fireys warn of unprecedented conditions

Crews battling scores of fires across Tasmania will be without water-bombing aircraft on one of the highest-risk days on record and major national parks will be closed as a precaution.

Fifty fires are burning across the state on Thursday. Two-thirds of them are considered uncontained, and authorities are bracing for worsening conditions.

“On a whole, across the whole part of the state, I haven’t seen conditions at this level,” the Tasmania Fire Service’s regional chief, Jeff Harper, said.

The conditions are set to peak from 5am on Friday, with hours of dry air, temperatures reaching into the high 30s, and 40km/h winds gusting up to 90km/h.

“The weather tomorrow may see that our aerial assets that have been so vital to us over the past week or so not able to fly,” Harper said. “The wind conditions are so turbulent that rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, it’s not safe for them to fly under those conditions.”

Ground crews will be stepped up to try to cover the loss of aircraft, but Harper said human safety and property defence efforts would be prioritised.

Two fires have could threaten communities. One at central Great Pine Tier could bear down on the township of Shannon, and the other the Gell river fire southwest of Hobart which has been burning since December 28.

Residents are being told of the threat and efforts are being made to clear fuel from around the communities. In some cases there is 40 tonnes of fuel each hectare.

One house has been lost near central Miena, and residents remain on alert at Barren Tier, Tods Corner, Penstock Lagoon, Liawenee and Shannon.

A statewide fire ban is in place until Monday.

The government will close some of the state’s major national parks. The road to the pinnacle of Mount Wellington, overlooking Hobart, will be closed from Thursday night.

Other popular sites including Mount Field national park near Hobart, and Hastings Caves, south of the capital, will be closed.

“The government’s priority is community and visitor safety,” the premier, Will Hodgman, said.

Updated

They have closed the roof at the tennis. And for good reason. At Rod Laver arena, the on-court temperature is 39C.

After winning through to the Australian Open final, Petra Kvitova said: “I was happier than the fans that the roof closed.” Understandable.

Updated

Marko Jovanovic-Jozic, 18, brought his cousin Mary to beat the heat.

“My cousin came from Germany for the warm weather,” Marko said. “She came from -38 degree weather and the experience here has gotten a bit much. I told her if you want to cool off, the best place is the ice arena.”

That may be true, but even the chillers at the Thebarton Ice Arena in Adelaide’s west have been struggling in the heat, and the industrial ice is wet. Still, more than 350 people have come through its doors.

Updated

I don’t believe these temperatures have been confirmed by the Bureau of Meteorology but this gives you a sense of how it is in Australia right now.

Updated

As South Australia continues to swelter, let’s look ahead briefly to tomorrow when the heat is expected to sweep through to Victoria.

On Thursday Melbourne eclipsed its forecast top by two degrees, reaching 38C. Earlier I spoke to Jonathan How, a forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, who set the scene:

“Victoria will be the hottest place in Australia tomorrow. Places like the Murray will be getting into 45-46C territory; places like Mildura, Swan Hill, Echuca are all going to be 46C. Some of those places will break January records.

“Melbourne is going for a top of 43C but it could get as hot as 44C in some of the suburbs.

“It all depends on the timing of the change coming through. If the change comes through a little bit later it might be higher than 43C. If it comes through earlier it might not get as hot.”

How also noted that Melbourne would drop only to a “humid” 29C overnight.

Updated

Here our full report on the likely culling of dozens of animals in central Australia.

Yes please.

Just on the issue of heatwaves and climate change, the ABC Melbourne presenter Rafael Epstein has pointed to recent statements from Victoria’s Bureau of Meteorology (Bom).

“The ocean waters around Australia have also warmed significantly over the past century, and have been very warm to record warm consistently across the past two decades,” the Bom said. “The background warming trend can only be explained by human influence on the global climate. The role of climate change is further discussed in State of the Climate 2018.”

Updated

While the weather in South Australia will be hottest on Thursday, the heat is forecast to sweep through Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales over the coming days.

The Lort Smith Animal Hospital is warning pet owners to take precautions.

“Pets most at risk include the very young, senior pets, and those with underlying medical conditions,” said Andrew Kapsis, Lort Smith’s head vet. “Animals should not be tethered out in the sun. Importantly, pets should never be left in cars – even for a short time with the windows down. In a car, heat stress and death can occur within minutes.

“If you see an animal locked in a hot car, call 000 and ask for police.

“Warning signs of heat stroke in pets include excessive panting, dark or bright red tongue and gums, sticky or dry gums and tongue, staggering, seizures, diarrhoea and vomiting.

“If you are concerned a pet has been affected, get them into a cooler environment. Use wet cloths but not iced water to cool them. Also offer the animal water – but don’t force them to drink.

“Even if the animal cools and appears to recover, take them to a vet for a thorough check as internal organs could be affected.”

Updated

Heat records topped throughout South Australia

Adelaide is not the only place where records have been broken.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, there have been new top temperatures at towns through South Australia.

Those include: Minlaton (45.7C), Snowtown (47.3C), Parafield (46.6C), Stenhouse Bay (45.6C), Roseworthy (46.9C), Minnipa (47.3C) and Hindmarsh Island (45.2C).

The town of Port Lincoln also made history, reaching 47.3C.

Other locations to break records included Adelaide Airport (44.3C) and Noarlunga (44.9C).

Adelaide breaks heat record

As anticipated, Adelaide has broken its 80-year-old heat record, with the city of churches hitting a scorching hot 46.2C on Thursday afternoon.

Updated

Royce Kurmelovs:

On Wednesday, an Adelaide pub in the working-class neighbourhood of Elizabeth North announced it was offering free beer. But only if the temperature soared above 45C.

And on Thursday it did. Lines were out the door with thirsty patrons made to wait 40 minutes or more without shade.

Muoi Pham, 60, was turned away by security who said the venue was at capacity. Instead, the local business owner brought free water to those waiting in line.

“You know, it’s too hot, [they’re] waiting there for too long for one beer,” Pham said.

Updated

Some news stemming from the power outage in northern Victoria.

It appears to have hit 45C in Adelaide. Some people are coping better than others.

Eat fresh? Not today.

Meanwhile in Western Australia:

People along Western Australia’s north-west coast have been warned to prepare for a cyclone that could bring heavy rain and damaging winds.

A tropical low north of Kuri Bay, in the Kimberley region, could develop into a tropical cyclone on Thursday and intensify as it moves south-west over water later this week, the Bureau of Meteorology (Bom) warns.

“The tropical low is forecast to move generally parallel to the coast, with communities along the Kimberley and possibly the Pilbara coast at risk of experiencing damaging winds, squally thunderstorms and heavy rain which could cause damage to homes,” the Bom’s severe weather services manager, Brad Santos, said on Wednesday.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ acting chief superintendent, Paul Carr, said people must be prepared before the weather hits and reconsider their travel plans.

“Ahead of the Australia Day long weekend, we urge all travellers and people returning home to plan their journey ahead of time to avoid the severe weather, and under no circumstances drive through floodwaters,” he said.

Source: Australian Associated Press

Updated

If you think #Adelaide is hot, inland is worse.

Marree – gateway to the Oodnadatta Track and site of the first mosque in Australia – is expecting it to get to 47C.

Joe Calvert, a Brit who has lived in Marree for the past five years and manages the Marree hotel, says there isn’t much to do except sit under an air conditioner.

“It’s like opening an oven,” he said. “No one’s in the pub. One fella’s been in, he’s 87 years old and comes in every day for two beers.”

In Maree heat can be lethal – as anyone who gets stuck out will find out. Joe says a while back some German backpackers died when they were caught in the middle of nowhere after a breakdown.

“People do crazy things,” he said. “They take all their clothes off and do anything to try to get cool.”

Updated

Property lost, wilderness threatened in Tasmania

In Tasmania, dozens of bushfires are raging through the island’s Central Highlands area, as they have been since mid-January.

The state’s fire service is now warning people in threatened areas to leave the area ahead of Friday, when conditions are expected to be at their worst.

A major concern is that high-conservation value wilderness areas may be destroyed by a fire burning near Mount Anne, inside Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area.

The Gondwanan ecosystems are under threat, according to environmentalists who describe the vegetation as “iconic” and say the plant communities in question have not changed for thousands of years.

Meanwhile, one property was destroyed. Two days ago, the Skittle Ball Plans Homestead in the central highlands burned to the ground despite the best efforts of its owners and fire crews, according to the ABC.

The fires in Tasmania are estimated to be covering a total of 19,000 hectares, the ABC said.

Dozens of animals face heatwave culling

More than 100 more feral animals could be culled in central Australia because they are dying from thirst in the prolonged extreme heatwave.

The Central Land Council is consulting a second remote community about carrying out an emergency cull of 120 horses, goats and donkeys because the animals are in such poor health they cannot be mustered or transported.

It comes after the publication of shocking images that showed 40 dead horses at the dried up Apwerte Uyerreme waterhole. More than 50 more horses found at the same site had to be killed via an aerial cull last Friday.

'Starting to feel the pinch': Port Augusta swelters as mercury nears record-temp

The temperature in Port Augusta has reached at least 46C, according to Weatherzone. A clock in town says the mercury might be at 48C, just shy of the record 48.9C. Already, last night, the town broke its January overnight record, with the mercury only dropping to 33.2C.

Even in an air-conditioned home, it was stinking hot, according to the mayor, Brett Benbow.

“Last night and the night before I think my wife and I were watching TV in bed with air conditioner on and it was still showing about 30C about 2.30 at night,” he said. “[The heat] won’t peak until about 7.30 tonight. That heat won’t just disappear, it takes hours.”

Benbow said many locals were flocking to the local pool today, while the council has also opened up its air-conditioned community sporting complex for people to flee from the heat. Council employees were also working to varied shifts, starting and finishing earlier.

“We’ve put initiatives in place to do the best we can,” he said. “Unfortunately, the extent of this extreme heat is quite unusual. I grew up here all my life ... once you get over the 40 mark it’s extremely different heat.”

Benbow suggested that the problem for locals was not so much the extreme heat today, when the town’s record might be eclipsed, but the fact the heatwave had just lasted so long.

“They’re starting to feel the pinch because it’s dragging on,” he said. “There’s a lot more drinking a lot more water … and staying indoors more.

“Unfortunately for the businesses do need to keep running. Even in the business where I work, we’re supplying ice blocks in the freezer and chilled water. A lot of companies are doing that.”

While temperatures are set to fall into the mid-30s by the weekend, Benbow was worried that the heatwave itself might drag on for months.

“Hopefully we normally get a southerly come through that will hang around for a couple of days,” he said. “The way it’s going, I think we’ll still get some of this heat for a couple of months. That’s what’s happened the last two or three years.”

Updated

Royce Kurmelovs:

In Adelaide, South Australia’s deputy premier, Vickie Chapman, and the human services minister, Michelle Lensing, have just arrived at the Hutt Street Centre, where people are handing out bottles of water and providing support to the homeless.

Mike Francis, a spokesman for the centre, said the homeless service is at “red alert” and has extended service hours to cope with the current conditions.

“It’s extreme,” he said. “Our support services for the homeless ramp up during situations like this.

“For people sleeping [in] cars, it is a very dangerous situation to be.”

Anyone who sees a homeless person and is concerned for their health should buy them a bottle of water and refer them to the centre, Francis added.

Updated

An hour from Port Augusta in Whyalla, South Australia, it is also forecast to be unbearably warm. The predicted top temperature is 48C, which may have already been reached.

Royce Kurmelovs:

If you are eating out today in Adelaide today spare a thought for the chefs, cooks and service staff who spent last night knowing they might be working in kitchens without any form of climate control.

With a characteristic mix of gallows humour, bluntness and sarcasm, users posting to the Adelaide Hospitality Crew Facebook page are sharing their fears about working tonight.

“Trying to cancel all booking for tomorrow lunch,” one said. “If successful my work will not be open.”

Another chimed in: “It’s the same in warehouses ... It will reach 50C at my work. Stay cool folks.”

Another user today urged others to buy water for homeless, while it was announced Fumo Blue on Rundle Street in Adelaide’s CBD will be open at 2am for hospitality workers to beat the heat.

Updated

My colleague Royce Kurmelovs has headed to Adelaide’s Central Markets, where stallholder, Ross, says the “media hype” about the heat has scared everyone away. Sorry about that, Ross.

“There are no customers,” he tells Royce. “Normally we don’t have time for coffee.”

The temperature in Adelaide has already reached 39.5C.

Updated

That is a very, very red map.

Power outages in north central Victoria

Please spare a thought for the more than 2,700 people in north central Victoria who have been left without power today.

The AusNet customers were hit by the power outage near Nagambie this morning, according to a report by AAP.

Temperatures in the area are expected to exceed 40C and residents have been warned the underground cable fault might not be fixed until 5pm.

The worst of the heatwave is not expected to Victoria hit until Friday after a hot and humid night with overnight temperatures around 30C.

AAP has more here:

The Australian Energy Market Operator is also trying to allay fears the state might suffer a power shortage over the next few days.

Chief executive Audrey Zibelman said there were enough reserves to see through the heat.

“We first go to the generators that are in the market, then we go into our reserves and we carry enough reserves to lose two units and then, only then, we would ask for people to reduce their usage, but that’s the last point and we’re not even close to that yet,” she told ABC Radio.

Melbourne will swelter through its hottest night in a year with the temperature dropping to just 29C, before hitting a top of 43C on Friday.

Authorities are asking people not to take risks during the hot weather, including leaving children in cars or swimming at unpatrolled beaches.

Twenty people have drowned in Victoria since 1 December.

A cool change is expected late on Friday but it will bring gusts of up to 80km/h, thunderstorms and increased fire risk.

Fire crews are on stand-by while extra paramedics and ambulances will be on call to assist those struggling in the heat.

Updated

Some good advice here.

The hottest place in Australia today will be Port Augusta. I can’t think of many reasons to go outside there today but dolphins might be one of them.

Updated

'It's going to be pretty tight': Could Victoria face blackouts and why?

To make sense of the situation in Victoria, where the energy market operator is warning of possible “load shedding”, I have been speaking with the University of Melbourne energy expert Dylan McConnell.

Last night, the energy market operator believed load shedding might be required but has since said it does not believe the situation will get to that point.

“What we’re at the moment is called ‘lack of reserve level two’,” McConnell said. “When you’re at that level, that means you can operate the power system like that, but if something happens … they will have to do load shedding to bring the system back into a safe operating state.”

“What they might do is turn off a suburb or turn off a transformer somewhere,” McConnell said. Usually, they would rotate that around so the same area isn’t affected, he added. So is it going to happen?

“It’s going to be pretty tight,” McConnell said. “Assuming everything goes to plan, it should be OK, but we have something like a coal plant trip or there’s a really bad forecast of demand there could be trouble.”

The potential “trouble”, as McConnell put it, has been caused by the fact that a power unit at AGL’s Loy Yang A power station is down. “One of their boilers has got a tube leak,” he said. “It’s very common. So they will have to take that unit offline. I imagine they’ll be working pretty rapidly.”

The other main factor, of course, is the huge demand for power caused by today’s stinking hot temperatures. In fact, the worst of it is not expected to hit Melbourne until Friday.

As Royce says, be like the animals.

The scene at Adelaide zoo

Royce Kurmelovs:

Over the course of the last week, the animals at Adelaide zoo have been getting a pampering as the heat builds.

The zoo’s presentations manager, Nicholas Bishop, says until it cools down, shows and interactives have been cancelled, overhead misters have been turned on and the animals have been given iceblocks to help them stay cool.

“You don’t tend to see animals sitting out in conditions like this,” he says. “Sometimes you hear people putting themselves under extraordinary strain by exposing themselves to conditions like this. Animals seem to have it sorted in terms of taking care of themselves.

“The bilbies, which are burrowing animals, dig down into the soil. Some animals will dig themselves a scrape in the mulch bed of the top of the soil.

“The hippos and alligators don’t notice it much.

“You might see a cassowary sitting in its pond looking like bizarre Jurassic swan from hell. You’ll see it sitting in the water, the shape is like a swan. But it is a cassowary. It’s a thing.

“We’ll set up misters, give them an ice block for many species so they can get stuck into getting their food from the interaction with the ice block.”

All up, the approach is pretty much the same for animals as it is for humans: find some shade, drink lots of water and eat a zooperdooper. Or three.

The message: be like the animals.

Updated

For context, the hottest temperature in Australia on record is 50.7C at Oodnadatta, South Australia. That was on 2 January 1960. As of 9am today, it was already 41C. The forecast top is 47C.

The town bears a large sign that says: “The driest town, the driest state of the driest Continent.”

Globally, the hottest air temperature ever recorded was 56.7C in the summer of 1913 at Death Valley, California.

Updated

Top forecast temperatures

Here’s a look at where it is going to be particularly hot today.

South Australia

  • 49C: Port Augusta;
  • 48C: Whyalla; Wudinna; Tarcoola
  • 47C: Port Pirie; Roseworthy; Snowtown; Cummins; Coober Pedy; Roxby Downs; Woomera; Maree; Oodnadatta

New South Wales

  • 46C: Wilcannia,
  • 45C: Broken Hill; Ivanhoe; Menindee; Bourke; Tibooburra
  • 44C: Hay; Wentworth; Lake Mungo; Cobar; Brewarrina

Victoria

  • 44C: Mildura; Swan Hill; Ouyen; Horsham

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

One thing to look out for today is the possibility of blackouts. Against the backdrop of scorching hot temperatures over the next two days, the energy market operator is already warning about a potential need for businesses in Victoria to power down today.

The whole situation is being exacerbated by a breakdown of an energy unit at AGL’s Loy Yang A power station.

The Australian Energy Market Operator chief executive, Audrey Zibelman, is warning Victorians “to be conscious to not use more energy than they need”.

We’ll have more details on this for you throughout the day.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the heatwave that will hit large swathes of Australia today.

In South Australia, temperatures are set to eclipse 45C, with Port Augusta looking at a top of 49C. Adelaide is also potentially on track to break its 80-year-old heat record and my colleague, Royce Kurmelovs, is there. He’ll be filing updates from across the city throughout the day.

Tasmania’s firefighters, meanwhile, say conditions in that state are expected to worsen throughout the day.

In Victoria, the north-west town of Mildura is tipped to hit 44C, while mercury will soar to 46C at Wilcannia in New South Wales’ Central Darling Shire.

If you’re out and about and have some heatwave-related photos or stories to share, please drop me a line on Twitter (@lukehgomes) or via email: luke.henriques-gomes@theguardian.com

Most importantly, stay cool!

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