US EditionBushfire threat as temperatures near 50C in Australia
- The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Jan 27 that Melbourne could hit 45C as parts of south-eastern Australia sweltered near 50C, with Walpeup recording 48.9C.
- Prolonged heat since early this month has caused Australia's south-east to face the most prolonged heatwave since Black Saturday 2009, with hot, dry winds raising fire risks.
- Twelve aircraft and 300 firefighters are fighting the Otways blaze, which has burned about 10,000 hectares and destroyed at least three properties, but Forest Fire Management Victoria's Chris Hardman said, `But it's a long way from being contained`.
- With public‑safety measures, Australian Open organisers closed roofs, postponed outdoor matches, and wheelchair matches to Jan 28 as crowds fell from 50,000 to 21,000 on Tuesday.
- Strong evening winds up to 70km/h and a south‑westerly cool change arriving about 5pm local time could drive fires further, while temperatures drop to 24 degrees in Melbourne on Wednesday and Powercor prepares for outages.
56 Articles
56 Articles
In southeastern Australia, extreme heat is creating dangerous conditions. Multiple fires are raging, nearly 100,000 households are without power, and in some places, people are being evacuated. In the state of Victoria, several locations recorded their highest temperatures ever, reaching well over 48 degrees Celsius. Just across the border with South Australia, in the town of Renmark, it even reached 49.6 degrees Celsius last day. Multiple bushf…
Record heat in Australia, as temperatures near 50 degrees Celsius
Parts of Australia sweltered in record temperatures of close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday as the country sweated through a prolonged heatwave. The rural towns of Hopetoun and Walpeup in Victoria state registered preliminary highs of 48.9 degrees, which if confirmed overnight would top records set on the day in 2009 when 173 people were killed in the state’s devastating Black Saturday bushfires. No casualties were rep…
Sky News UK
Great Yorkshire RadioAustralia swelters in record heatwave as temperatures soar to nearly 50C
Australian Open crowds dwindle and players in the tennis tournament hold ice to their heads as heat in Melbourne exceeds 45C. Hopetoun and Walpeup see highs of 48.9C.
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