Summer in Australia starts extremely hot. The last time Victoria was this hot in December was five years ago. In Adelaide overnight temperatures reached almost 30 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures reached 47.1 degrees Celsius in the northwestern Victoria town of Walpeup on Monday, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said. The last time this temperature or higher was recorded in the state was December 20, 2019. Five years ago, a heat record was broken in this city, which amounted to 47.7 degrees Celsius.
Many other places in western Victoria also recorded their highest December temperatures in years. Thermometers show from 12 to even 20 degrees above the average for this month.
30 degrees at night
Extreme heat spread to many parts of Australia. Temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius in Birdsville in Queensland, Smithville in New South Wales, Renmark in South Australia and Jervois in the Northern Territory.
In Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, 38 degrees was measured at 10 a.m. after the temperature dropped to just 29.8 degrees Celsius overnight.
People cool off on the beach in MelbournePAP/EPA/DIEGO FEDELE
As meteorologists explain, the heat is intensified by a high pressure system located in the south and east of the country.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/DIEGO FEDELE