Heatwave in SE Australia
 

We're having a decent heat wave in SE Australia. In Adelaide today it got to 42 degrees and Melbourne wasn't far behind with 37. The next four days for Melbourne are forecast to reach or exceed 40 degrees on each of the four days. If it happens, it will be the first time that Melbourne has had four days in a row over 40 degrees since 1908. Adelaide's forecast is similar.

The ABC weather forecast also had a little fun in the seven-day forecast by finding some heat-related words starting with S, so the weather forecast for the next four days was presented as Sweltering, Scorching, Searing and Stifling instead of the more usual Hot, Sunny etc. With the impending heatwave being the major news of the day, not much more needed to be said.

If you're a fan of the tennis, this scorcher of a heat wave is coinciding with the last week of the Australian Open. Fortunately, there's not a lot of matches left and Centre Court has a retractable roof. I suspect that the retractable roof will spend a fair bit of time closed during the next four days.

Another concern with the heat and dryness - Victoria has recorded almost no rain since January 3rd - is the high risk of bushfire. Hot days after dry weather are prime fire weather.

I'm not a tennis fan, but I heard on 5 Live (BBC sports station that the radio in the bathroom is tuned into) about someone quitting a match halfway through because of the heat. I was shampooing, so am vague on the details :)

We sent my cousin a photo of Dad scraping frost off the car this week, because she couldn't get over how funny it sounded. I mean of course she knows there is cold weather in the world, but it weirds her out to think her own Uncle would have to do that in England. They live in Brisbane, but I was talking to my Aunt just yesterday (lots of family business going on at the mo) and she asked whether we'd been hearing about their (Australia's) weather.

We get much more coverage here than in America because of the historical and familial links, but even I feel I hear more in the Cellar than on the news. Then again, isn't that always the way!

Have they started using the word, "Scorchio!" yet? Don't know if you got The Fast Show over there... Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

I've been feeling sorry for the southerners lately, although we've had incredibly high humidity (94%) up here which has made me wonder if I might be better off with gills than lungs. Our temps haven't been that high though. Low to mid 30's mostly.

I hope Vic doesn't get bushfires. I really hope all those idiots behave themselves and smokers keep their butts in the car.

I'll trade your 40 degrees for my -40.

I can't imagine living in such a cold climate. I just don't think I could do it having lived in a warm climate all my life.

The first time I met my future inlaws we went out to see them in Bullhead City, Arizona in August. No clouds, only a blue sky and huge sun with afternoon temps around 125F (about 52C) in the shade. They had no air conditioning, just a thing called a swamp cooler that had a fan blow over a coil with water dripping down it. I remember telling them that you could put your head in the kitchen oven and it would seem cooler!

Oh, and they don't usually have brush fires in that area since all of the brush dried up long ago, it's mostly just dirt and rocks outside.

I'm soooo glad I am not working at the moment, the heat would be awful in the yard.

What we have to look forward to....

41°C | 27°C Thu

41°C | 21°C Fri

44°C | 27°C Sat

43°C | 23°C Sun

Keeping the kids indoors is proving to be difficult.

Adelaide got to 45.7 degrees today, the hottest day for 70 years and 0.4 degrees shy of Adelaide's record of 46.1.

Melbourne got to 42 degrees today.

The hottest temperature today was 47 degrees in NSW.

The forecasts:
Adelaide
Thursday: 44
Friday: 41
Saturday: 40
Sunday: 40
Monday: 39
Tuesday: 38
Wednesday: 38

Yep, coming down at least, but 38 degrees after a stinking hot week is much the same as 42 or 43 degrees once the house heats up.

Melbourne
Thursday: 43 and windy.
Friday: 43
Saturday: 35
Sunday: 31
Monday: 34
Tuesday: 29
Wednesday: 29

Relief on the way on Saturday.

However, tomorrow's forecast is ominous. Hot and windy after almost a month of zero rainfall. It is conditions like these that give bushfires. Dangerous bushfires. Already it's been compared to the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 when 73 lives were lost.

Hey, Kingswood, thanks for posting all the details for me. Saved me the trouble.

Man, this sucks.

On the bright side I am back at work this week, being paid to sit inside an air-conditioned building.

On the crappy side, I left work at 5 pm and walked in as much shade as possible to the train station, to find my line was closed because the tracks had buckled in the heat. Free water and a free bus later I got home at about at 6pm, which was not too bad really, except that the temperature was still 44.5.

Tonight's forecast minimum is 32.

The bushfires are a real worry. Tomorrow will be a very high risk day, and there are several serial arsonists lighting fires around the city/country transition. Fuckers.


ETA: last summer we had a record 16 days in a row over 35 - most were well over it.

And wow, that's my 3,000th post.

Ducks, I was looking at the right hand column and thinking, "Okay, too hot for comfort but I could handle it." Bwahahahahaha - didn't realise that was the LOW!

You poor babbas, I would have melted by now.
Just come in from a walk just wearing a light jumper and the in this house made me reel! Well, Dad being in his 70th year now, it just doesn't seem as hot to him. The temperature I was knocked back by? 16 degrees :)

Uh ... it snowed here last night ...

Ha Sundae, I remember you dont like the warm heat, let alone our shitty hot heat.

We tend to get Adelaide's weather 2 days after them...its too hot to even go to the river or the pool.

I feel sorry for you guys down there. I think I'd be dead by now.

45.7? Thats 114 Fahrenheit.

No wonder everyone down there goes to the beach.

Well according to Al Gore it is all related to Ali's pregnancy. Really. Hormones and all do that to them.