A powerful heatwave is striking the southern part of Australia with temperatures reaching up to 49 degrees Celsius in some cities, forcing authorities to issue warnings and causing power grid overloads and forest fires. The state of Victoria has banned citizens from lighting fires tomorrow as the fire risk is rated as “catastrophic,” the highest possible level. Approximately 450 schools and daycare centers will remain closed.
Friday will be the “real peak of the heatwave,” Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology told the BBC. “It will be a very hot day for almost all of South Australia, Victoria, most of New South Wales, parts of Tasmania.” Some public spaces, such as libraries, have extended their operating hours so residents can seek refuge there for cooling, while others, like the Monarto Safari Park, were forced to close today. More than 2,000 homes lost power in Adelaide.
Australia heatwave: meteorologists’ forecasts and data
Meteorologists told the BBC that the combination of heatwave and increased fire risk in parts of the country could create the most “extreme” conditions since the catastrophic fires of the “Black Summer.”
That period, six years ago, was the most severe fire period ever recorded in Australia, as dozens of people lost their lives and thousands of acres of land burned.
Firefighters battled several fire fronts in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW), while twelve water-carrying aircraft were called to tackle a major fire near the town of Wodonga, ABC reported.
Melbourne experienced its hottest day in six years on Wednesday (7/1), with a maximum temperature of 40.9 degrees Celsius, while in some coastal cities of Western Australia the temperature reached 49 degrees Celsius.
In New South Wales, the heatwave is expected to peak on Saturday, with Sydney facing a maximum temperature of 42°C, while in areas of South and Western Australia temperatures will exceed 40°C in the coming days.
