Adelaide World’s Hottest City at 43.3°C

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
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Temperatures could top 46°C in Adelaide, Australia: Forecast

Adelaide is currently the world’s hottest city at 43.3°C (110 degrees) at 03:00UTC, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), and a maximum temp of 46°C (115 degrees) is forecast for the city today amid a blistering heatwave.

A persistent heatwave continues to smash temperature records and cause bushfires to rage out of control in parts of southeastern Australia Thursday.

Hundreds of blazes have been sparked by lightning storms across the “lost continent” and many are burning  uncontrollably, as of posting.

Daily maximum temperature anomaly for Australiana.  All temperature anomalies are calculated w.r.t the average over the 1961 to 1990 reference period. Source: BOM.

Climate Change and the Australian Bushfire Threat

The so-called  Climate Council of Australia, a privately-founded organization, which includes former members of a a government-sponsored climate change watchdog that was dissolved last year by the  PM Tony Abbott, has issued a report titled: “Climate Change and the Australian Bushfire Threat.” The following are excerpts from the report.

• Climate change is already increasing the risk of bushfires.

• Extreme fire weather has increased over the last 30 years in southeast Australia.

•  In southeast Australia the fire season is becoming longer.

•  Recent severe fires have been influenced by record hot, dry conditions. Australia has just experienced its hottest year on record in 2013.

• In the future, Australia is very likely to experience an increased number of days with extreme fire danger.

• Heatwaves have increased across Australia.

• The duration and frequency of heatwaves increased between 1971 and 2008, with the hottest days becoming even hotter.

• Record hot days and heatwaves are expected to increase in the future.

• Rising temperatures and heatwaves are one of the most direct consequences of climate change.

• Climate change is making extreme events even worse in terms of their impacts on people, property, communities and the environment.

• This is the critical decade. Australia must strive to cut emissions rapidly and deeply to join global efforts to stabilize the world’s climate and to reduce the risk of even more extreme events, including bushfires.

Most FIRE-EARTH readers would be familiar with the above facts, since they first learned about them as early as 2007.

Related Links

• Uncontrolled Bushfires Rage in Victoria and South Australia January 15, 2014
• Australia: Temperatures Continue to Soar January 14, 2014
• Extreme Heat Wave Setting Australia on Fire January 13, 2014
• Record Heat Scorching Australia January 3, 2014

• Major Heatwave Enters 5th Day in Australia December 16, 2013
• Australia’s Bushfire Losses Top 1,000 October 25, 2013
• Costs of Back-to-back Disasters in Australia Continue to Mount October 22, 2013
• Australia Declares Emergency as NSW Bushfires Destroy “Hundreds of Homes” October 17, 2013

• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast [Index of related links since 2007]