Farmers around the area of Mallee Hill in the shire of Lake Grace and Mount Short in the Ravensthorpe shire have run out of water for their stock and had been driving more than 40km to cart water back to their farms.
Hot weather came after sweltering summer and unusually dry season in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. An abnormally hot summer in Australia ended with the warmest March on record, new data from the Bureau of Meteorology shows.
For the second year in a row, a stubborn high-pressure system over the Tasman Sea was warming the surface of the ocean to above-average temperatures, forming a marine heatwave, wreaking destruction and providing a glimpse of the new ecological order in the marine Anthropocene. Globally marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and prolonged and affecting biodiversity, according to new research published in Nature Climate Change this week.
There have been obvious signs: bushfires, drought and coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. But there have also been less headline-grabbing climate change-related tragedies. Based on studies of past extreme heat events, the affect of this summer’s heatwaves on Australia’s flora and fauna would have been severe, fundamental and, in some cases, deadly.
The 2018-19 summer, which produced near 50°C days and topped temperature highs across the country, has officially exceeded the previous record set in 2012-13, which was 1.28°C above what is considered normal. Climate analysts say it falls into a pattern of human-induced global warming.
Amid record temperatures, severe flooding and devastation of wilderness, the political message from the government is business as usual — The people of Townsville know about heavy rain, but this was new. Over the past fortnight, the northern Queensland city’s 180,000 residents have been hit by a monsoon strengthened by a low-pressure front that dragged …
Floods, fire and drought: Australia, a country in the grip of extreme weather bingo Read More »
Premier distances herself from decision to open Ross River dam floodgates, which sent water into Townsville suburbs — The Queensland government has announced an inquiry into the historic flooding in Townsville, as evidence mounts that local authorities failed to anticipate the extreme nature of the recent record rainfall. The independent inquiry will look into “key …
Townsville flood inquiry announced, as up to 300,000 cattle die in western Queensland Read More »
Bureau of Meteorologist says global warming contributed to soaring temperatures — January was Australia’s hottest month on record, with the country’s mean temperature exceeding 30°C for the first time since records began in 1910. The Bureau of Meteorology released its climate summary for January on Friday and said the widespread heatwave conditions and daily extremes …
January was Australia’s hottest month since records began Read More »
Seventeen records broken in South Australia amid animal culls and mass fish deaths in other parts of the country — Temperature records have tumbled across South Australia, with the city of Adelaide experiencing its hottest day on record, as the second heatwave in as many weeks hit southern parts of Australia. Adelaide hit 46.6°C on …
Adelaide breaks its all-time heat record, hitting 46.6C, in extreme Australia heatwave Read More »
Fears rise for homeless and vulnerable people as communities brace for another week of relentless hot weather — It was 48.9°C last Tuesday in Port Augusta, South Australia, an old harbour city that now harvests solar power. Michelle Coles, the owner of the local cinema, took off her shoes at night to test the concrete …
‘It’s like hell here’: Australia bakes as record temperatures nudge 50°C Read More »
