Sydney experienced its hottest day on record today, with temperatures rising past 46 degrees Celsius at the airport, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Dr Blair Trewin, a climatologist at the Bureau of Meterology said that temperatures at Sydney Observatory Hill climbed to 45.8 degrees Celsius at around 3.15pm, breaking its all time record of 45.3 degrees Celsius set in 1939.
“We had 46.4 at the airport and we are seeing records at a number of other places as well, so it’s certainly a pretty significant day,” he said.
Dr Trewin said that temperatures could “jump up by another half a degree or a degree” before things cool down at night, but that the recent heatwave should be drawing to a close.
“Today should be the last really hot day in the Sydney area,” he said.
A graph published by the Bureau of Meteorology showed temperatures climbing steeply from mid-Friday morning.
Canberra experienced temperatures of 41.6 degrees Celsius, their hottest January on record but still slightly under the all time record of 42.2 degrees Celsius set in February 1968.
“It is scorchingly hot out there,” said Dr David Jones, Head of Climate Monitoring and Prediction Services at Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Carol Daly
Director
49.5 as we drove on the Hume Highway near Appin and Camden today about 12 noon and 43 at Circular Quay at 1pm. Temps from car which is pretty accurate.
Hottest I remember in 42 years!
Doug Hutcheson
Poet
Although your recorded temperatures suffer from the Urban Heat Island effect, where built infrastructure raises temperatures above where they otherwise would be, it is important to realise that these are the temperatures urban/city dwellers are actually experiencing. 49.5C is unhealthy for the human body to experience for very long.
It is instructive to recognise that temperatures are starting from a slightly higher base these days, due to global warming. Expect more unusually hot days than unusually cold ones in future.
Allan Kessing
retired
I'm surprised that the heatwave, aka summer, is thought to be nearly over - "<I>Dr Trewin said ... that the recent heatwave should be drawing to a close</I>".
Surely the hottest period is yet to come - late Jan to March? The bush will be so dessicated by then that, after the last molecule of moisture has been evaporated the litter will be tinder to the slightest ignition, lightning or a decades old sliver of glass, just at the right/wrong angle.
In this last week, in the open, the heat being reflected back under my very broadbrimmed hat was enough to give sunburn, from grass!
When even the native animals & birds are comatose from 11am to 4pm that is a very good indicator than no sane person should be abroad.
As sung by The Master, Noel Coward, in "Mad Dogs..".
David Clerke
Teacher
He just a minute! A record which stands for 74 years, or nearly a quarter of European settlement, and then is exceeded by one half of a degree is hardly "smashed". Why such an emotive term in what is supposed to be a scientific log? Or are we seeing the overt political stance of the Conversation ? I did not see a headline saying Canberra's lowest December reading since records began nor "Canberra 68 record stands".
Mike Hansen
Mr
@John Coochey
(David Clerke is a sockpuppet of climate crank John Coochey)
As the following article spells out, cold records continue to be set (hint - the ice at the poles indicate that they are still below freezing). But the trend is clear.
"Within the past decade, the number of extreme heat records in Australia has outnumbered extreme cold records by almost 3:1 for daytime maximum temperatures and 5:1 for night-time minimum temperature."
http://theconversation.edu.au/whats-causing-australias-heat-wave-11628
David Clerke
Teacher
As per usual Mike cannot address the issue which is why if a record was beaten by one per cent after 54 years would that be normally referred to as "smashed". If absolute Zero were used as a starting point the increase of the "smash" would be even less. Given that one would have had to have been living in a cave not to know temperatures had been high why was the article written at all unless it was to gain kudos among the politically correct in group. And if temperatures are rising an CAGW already here so what? How are we going to prevent the Third World industrializing especially India and China, by all riding bicycles to work?
David Clerke
Teacher
I should have pointed out that "Dog bites man is not news, Man bites dog is" so if record breaking cold is rarer (sic) then surely it should be more newsworthy, if in fact there is desire to report the news. Wonder how long this stays before it gets removed?
Greg Boyles
Lanscaper and former medical scientist
Clearly you are no science teacher David!
Or if you are then we should all be extremely worried about our education system.