The Australian weather service (Bom) has published its latest climate data for the month of January and a record proclaimed: Since records began in 1910, it was in the entire country never been so hot as in the first month of the year 2019. The average temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius.
The heat waves and daily extreme values were “unprecedented”, according to the weather service. “There were so many records… it is really hard to count them all,” said Bom climate scientist Andrew Watkins. January was reported to be the warmest month on the average temperature as well as the maximum and minimum temperatures. And, According to Watkins, it is very likely that the heat will last at least until the end of February and into March and April.
National #Climate summary for January 2019 now online at https://t.co/twVivzMfp0. the
Australia as a whole had its warmest January on record in terms of mean, max. and min. temperatures. the
Overall rainfall rate of 38% below average for January; Tasmania had its driest Jan. on record. pic.twitter.com/oolK7XzIDq— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) 1. February 2019
Borrona Downs in the state of New South Wales have broken a record, Watkins said: at night, the minimum temperature at 36.6 degrees Celsius. And in Port Augusta had been measured in January, the highest temperature: 49.5 degrees Celsius. In Menindee – where in December and January, countless fish died – it was, therefore, four days is more than 47 degrees.
Dead fish in the Darling River
In many Parts of the country have only about 20 percent of the usual rain falls, reported to the weather service. In the state of Western Australia it was, therefore, in January as dry as the last in the year 2005. And Tasmania, have experienced the driest January since the beginning of the data collection. There is severe Bush fires raged in the past month. In other Parts of Australia, the power supply was because of the heat part.
the reason for the persistent heat, according to Bom a tight, high-pressure system over the Tasman sea between Australia and new Zealand.
Video heat wave in Australia: Almost 50 degrees in the shade
Video DAVID CROSLING/EPA-EFE/REX
Not only January, but the whole past year was for Australians unusually hot: Only of 2005, and 2013 was on average still warmer. In Germany to 2018 is the warmest year in Germany since measurements began in 1881.
aar/Reuters