Weather extremes Down-Under

Temperature records tumble as Adelaide reaches 46.6C

Adelaide has set a new heat record, surpassing the previous one reached in 1939, hitting 46.6C this afternoon.

Adelaide city centre Photo: Public Domain / Creative Commons

Radio NZ,

24 January, 2019

At least 20 locations hit record temperatures including Adelaide Airport, Minlaton, Noarlunga, Snowtown and Port Lincoln.

Ceduna set a record for the second day in a row, reaching 48.6C. At 3.15pm Port Augusta hit 49.1C.

Adelaide Metro said that due to the extreme heat it would run trams "at reduced frequency" between the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, west of the CBD, and the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) expected more records would fall later in the day.

Meteorologist Hilary Wilson said records were breaking across the state.

"It really is quite something to see this many records broken in one day," Ms Wilson said.

"It's preliminary at this stage but when we do the figures it wouldn't be at all surprising to see that this was the hottest day ever for South Australia as a whole.

"Typically the hottest time of the day is mid-afternoon so Adelaide could still sneak up a little bit higher."

The heatwave has also prompted fire bans in 13 districts.

SA Country Fire Services (CFS) state duty commander Yvette Dowling warned communities were at risk in the extreme heat.

"If a fire does start with these forecast weather conditions we're not going to be able to control that fire," she said.

"The communities are at risk, our firefighters are at risk, all emergency services are at risk."

Another Australian state, Victoria, was also expected to be hit by temperatures in the mid-40s.

About 2700 houses in the central Victorian towns of Nagambie and Avenel were set to battle an anticipated maximum of 41C during a power blackout.

Weather: Scorching hot 30degC+ temperatures to hit parts of NZ

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/01/weather-scorching-hot-30degc-temperatures-to-hit-parts-of-nz.html?fbclid=IwAR2b0rFmRUAbI7e944kQfJtwRtMJfEvPeuHh9blxrUMv3UAc5zrDtFYpsBo

Temperatures are set to soar next week as a heatwave makes it way to some parts of New Zealand. 

From Sunday, temperatures are expected to be consistently higher than average, with most regions having daily highs of 27 to 32degC. 

Nelson and Marlborough will be hit the worst, with temperatures ranging from 30 to 34degC, WeatherWatch says. 

Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Waikato, King Country, Central Otago and inland parts of Canterbury will also see temperatures soar into the 30s....

As the country bakes in the mid-summer heat, firefighters are bracing themselves for a busy fire season, with the rest of January expected to very hot and dry for much of the country.