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As the heat moves off New Zealand Australia is going to cop very high temperatures.
Aussie heatwave: Victoria will resemble 'blast furnace' above 43C
6
Juanuary, 2017
2018Authorities
have warned of "catastrophic" bushfire conditions across
Australia's southeast, with Victorians in the path of "blast
furnace" conditions that could be the hottest in several years.
The
state is set to swelter through their single hottest day in two years
as an extreme heat event takes hold.
Victoria's
ambulance commander Paul Holman says conditions need to be taken
seriously and that people should stay indoors unless absolutely
necessary.
"This
heat is a killer," Holman said on Friday.
"It's
going to be like a blast furnace tomorrow and you need to adjust what
you do. You need to take care. So put off the sporting events, put
off the outside events, stay inside."
In
NSW, Surf Life Saving and the Rural Fire Service are warning
residents to stay safe on the state's beaches and prepare for
potential bushfires.
"Lifesavers
and lifeguards are out in force but we need the public to take some
responsibility for their own safety," Surf Life Saving chief
executive Steven Pearce told AAP.
"The
tragic incidents we have witnessed through December and early January
are a reminder of the power of the ocean."
Temperatures
in Melbourne on Saturday are expected to climb north of 41C, the
hottest they've been since 42.2C was recorded on January 13, 2016.
Geelong and Bendigo will feel even hotter, nudging 42C. Swan Hill,
Echuca, Warracknabeal and Mildura will hover around 44C at the
hottest part of the day.
Conditions
have fire authorities deeply concerned about the very real risk of
bushfires sparking up.
"If
a fire starts it will run, it will run hard and has the potential to
do significant damage," Emergency Management Commissioner Craig
Lapsley said. "On these days the conditions can beat the crews
and the terrain."
Total
fire bans have been declared throughout SA and Victoria and across
most of Tasmania for Saturday.
On
Friday drivers were delayed on the Hume Highway due to a stretch of
road "melting".
Victoria
Police warned motorists should expect delays on the right-hand lane
heading towards the city near Broadford on Friday evening, as a 10km
stretch of road was reportedly melting amid the hot weather.
Meanwhile,
the Australian Energy Market Operator, the national energy regulator,
is in talks with more than a dozen power-hungry companies in Victoria
and South Australia in a bid to get ahead of weekend blackouts.
The
14 companies, with major factories across the two southern states,
may need to shut down operations over the weekend as heightened
airconditioner use could lead to major blackouts.
Companies
including Australian Paper, Visy and BlueScope Steel have been paid
incentives to cut down on operations to avoid the kind of sporadic
blackouts South Australia struggled through last summer.
Sky
News weather meteorologist Tristan Meyers told news.com.au the
country's southern and eastern states will swelter.
"There
is a lot of heat coming this week affecting South Australia,
Tasmania, Victoria and NSW," he said.
"On
Saturday, it's going to be really hot in Victoria and Tasmania.
Melbourne, Geelong and Launceston will have their hottest days in two
years."
The
mercury is tipped to hit 41C in Melbourne on Saturday while
Launceston and much of Tasmania is expected to reach at least 32C.
On
Sunday, NSW will have its turn to sweat with much of the state
expected to reach above average temperatures.
"We
have seen some hotter days, but the state is going to get pretty hot.
Western parts of Sydney will absolutely swelter and Penrith will hit
the mid-40s," Meyers said.
The
state will then be hit with incredibly hot, gusty conditions which
will lead to a spike in fire danger throughout the state.
Catastrophic
fire danger is expected in South Australia's Mount Lofty and today
Western Australia is likely to see severe to extreme fire danger
across much of the state.
James
Taylor, the acting manager of the Bureau of Meteorology's extreme
weather desk, said Australians need to be vigilant.
"Any
fires that start will be extremely difficult to suppress," he
said, citing the hot and gusty conditions expected across much of
south east Australia on the weekend.
An
analysis from finder.com.au, the country's number one comparison
site, found Aussies could save a whopping $415 this summer if they
opt for a fan rather than their airconditioning unit.
Using
your fan for 8 hours per night for the duration of summer will cost
Aussies a total of $17, whereas using your aircon for the same amount
of time will cost you $432, the site found.
Angus
Kidman, finder.com.au editor-in-chief, said Aussies need to embrace
the humble fan more.
"It
might be tempting to crank your aircon for hours, but if you don't
want to end up with a hefty electricity bill at the end of the month,
try to avoid overuse.
"We
need to give fans a little more credit. They might not cool the
entire room down, but they do a very good job at keeping you
comfortable, especially if they're directly blowing on you, and
they're much cheaper to run."
"Aussies
have become accustomed to staying cool. Some people will even drop
the temperature so low they end up putting a jacket on just to stay
warm! Don't do that — moderate your usage to cut down on bills."
Here's
how the weekend is looking across Australia.
ADELAIDE
The
South Australian capital will have a scorcher this weekend with the
mercury expected to hit 41C. Adelaide is already getting a taste for
the hot weekend with temperatures reaching 37C today. Rain is
expected late on Sunday which will also bring down the temperature
substantially to 26C.
MELBOURNE
Melbourne
is heading for its hottest day in two years on Saturday with highs of
41C expected. But after struggling through Saturday, Melburnians will
be treated to a cool change overnight and see a drastic 20 degree
drop. Temperatures will struggle to hit 21C on Sunday.
HOBART
A
total fire ban is in place for Tasmanians this weekend as some of the
island state's towns will have their hottest days in years. Hobart
will swelter through a 33C Saturday but a cool change on Sunday will
drop the temperature back to 23C.
CANBERRA
The
nation's capital is set to sizzle. Today, the mercury will hit 33C,
Saturday will be worse at 36C and Sunday will be the hottest of all
at 38C. Rain isn't expected until at least Tuesday with showers
increasing next Thursday.
SYDNEY
Sydneysiders
won't see their weekend properly heat up until Sunday when
temperatures are expected to hit 38C. Despite that, Saturday will
still reach 31C and today is heading for tops of 28C. A cool change
will bring showers by next Tuesday.
BRISBANE
Queensland's
capital will enjoy nice summer weather for days. Temperatures are
expected to sit in the low-30s for the weekend and much of next week.
Rain is expected next Wednesday.
DARWIN
As
per usual, the Top End is going to be hot and wet this weekend and
for much of next week. Temperatures will be past the 30s and
thunderstorms are possible every day. Humidity will also be extremely
high making the nights especially sticky.
PERTH
The
west coast capital is going to be a little more pleasant than the
east coast's record-breaking weather. Perth will be a model of
summertime weather this weekend with temperatures expected to rise
from 27C today through to 31C on Sunday and 33C on Monday. Clear
skies are expected every day. The state's scorching conditions today
are also expected to subside after an expected cool change this
afternoon.
Just imagine if their was an Antartica with no snow or ice !
ReplyDeleteTheir would be no relief and crops would fail !