'Catastrophic conditions': bushfire danger as mercury to hit 45 degrees

Been lucky here in SA so far this summer,
got the hot weather/risk but no bad fires..

Still, doesn't normally heat up PROPERLY until at least Feb.. so here's hoping its just an odd january and not an odd summer all round.

Black Saturday was one of the scariest days of my life. I wasn't caught in the Victorian fires, though they were not far away. The sky went dark at 3pm, when it shouldn't have happened until around 8pm. It was like the middle of the night. Then, still smouldering leaves started falling from the sky.

Last Friday was the 2nd hottest day on record where I live, 44.3c.

11.20pm here in Sydney and I'm sweating so much my fingers keep slipping on the keyboard.

as i mentioned earlier, i had to drive from sydney to canberra yesterday. once you got to the southern highlands the wind was unbelievable. and the amount of dry fuel on the ground is incredible.

Originally posted by Unrealised

Originally posted by winofiend

Originally posted by Unrealised

Originally posted by samuel1990
reply to post by Unrealised

 

I couldn't think of anything worse.....

2nd.

Well if you don't have an air conditioner, it could mean the difference between a hot day and a cool day.


Hot days in Australia re HOT days.

What is this "air conditioner" ? It is strange thing, yes?

Ahh.. it is what the neighbour has on at all hours of the night, which disrupts my slumber.

For me, it is an open window. with a fan. and lots and lots of tears..

Yes, I too, am one without an Air Conditioner.


I don't even have a fan.


My canary likes to splash around in a little pool I made for him out of a Jam-Jar Lid.


I might borrow it off him.

WHY?? Is an air conditioner crazy expensive over there? Or for that matter a fan?? You can pick one up here in the US for less than a pack of bubble gum......

Birdsville expecting 48 degrees this weekend.

I heard some towns in central Australia got up to 50 - 52 last week.

Alice Springs has had 6 days around 42 degrees with another week of that heat expected......

I know Australia is the sunburnt country and yes we are not new to hot weather but this stretch is one of the longer ones most of us have experienced.

It's So Hot in Australia That They Added New Colors to the Weather Map...

See that deep purple in the middle of this acne-red weather report from Down Under? That right there represents 129.2° F or 54 °C — it's a brand-new shade that the Australian bureau of meteorology was forced to add to its heat index because their country is, you know, kind of on fire. "The scale has just been increased today and I would anticipate it is because the forecast coming from the bureau's model is showing temperatures in excess of 50 degrees," David Jones, head of the bureau's climate monitoring and prediction unit, told The Sydney Morning Herald, which notes that the previous record high was 50.7°C (123°F), recorded in 1960 at Oodnadatta Airport in the southern part of Australia — right around where the new shades of hot are showing up today.

To give you an idea of just how uncomfortable this Australian heatwave really is, consider that it's just past midnight there right now ... and it's 95°F in Sydney. Doubly scary are the giant fire risks that come with the heat — risks so severe Australian officials are taking no chances and labeling the warning "catastrophic." "A 'catastrophic' warning carries the risk of significant loss of life and the destruction of many homes, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service," reports CNN.

Source

Hope that everyone is safe and that this unreal situation will not last....
Anyway, my thoughts goes to my Australian friends.

Australia's bureau of meteorology have just published an update in their data in the Extreme January heat report. See table 3 that outlines average temperatures over the nation with the record being 40.2 set on 21 December 1972 which was beat on Monday 7 January 2013 with a 40.3 and Tuesday being a close third at 40.1.

The bureau of meteorology's press release here.

Originally posted by Chrisfishenstein

Originally posted by Unrealised

Originally posted by winofiend

Originally posted by Unrealised

Originally posted by samuel1990
reply to post by Unrealised

 

I couldn't think of anything worse.....

2nd.

Well if you don't have an air conditioner, it could mean the difference between a hot day and a cool day.


Hot days in Australia re HOT days.

What is this "air conditioner" ? It is strange thing, yes?

Ahh.. it is what the neighbour has on at all hours of the night, which disrupts my slumber.

For me, it is an open window. with a fan. and lots and lots of tears..

Yes, I too, am one without an Air Conditioner.


I don't even have a fan.


My canary likes to splash around in a little pool I made for him out of a Jam-Jar Lid.


I might borrow it off him.

WHY?? Is an air conditioner crazy expensive over there? Or for that matter a fan?? You can pick one up here in the US for less than a pack of bubble gum......

Fans just blow hot air at you in this sort of heat.

Aircon isn't that expensive to buy, it's the cost of the electricity to run it that gets ridiculous here.

Do they still use mercury in thermometers?

Australian Heat Wave Threatens Gadgets, Forces Experts to Redesign Temperature Maps

What happens when a changing climate exceeds the operating parameters of the stuff we own? While we in the northern hemisphere make jokes about indestructible snow forts, it is getting hot in Australia. How hot? So hot that Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology had to add new colors to its weather map. Now, those unfortunate parts of Australia that achieve temperatures above 122ºF (50ºC) — temperatures that were, until recently, literally off the scale — will be marked in deep purple and terrifying hot pink. It is an interesting moment in data visualization history when climate scientists find themselves in the position of revising the upper bounds of temperatures they ever expected to depict.


The move is a result of predictions of upcoming record temperatures, following an already seven-day record-breaking heatwave that’s brought with it more than a hundred wildfires and a “catastrophic“ danger to some of the most populous parts of the country. Let’s put that in a different perspective. In Sydney, temperatures reached 108ºF (42ºC) yesterday. According to Apple, that’s too hot to safely use your iPhone (they want you to keep it under 95ºF or 35ºC) and edging into being too hot to own an iPhone (113ºF or 45ºC).

Hmmm...not a good thing heat and iphones, go figure...

reply to post by Hx3_1963


Interesting about the gadgets and iPhones. I know many across the country are using iPhones and smart phones as a hopefully reliable source of info on the bushfires.

With the phones having apps to send early warning alerts and SMS to people. Of course in an area of extreme danger I would assume people use other sources for info as well.

The colours in the map look scary, not use to seeing the dark pink/ purple. Another bad day tomorrow with temps up to 40 in Vic. So far the cfa are doing a fantastic job here.

reply to post by Hx3_1963


I left my iPhone on my car bonnet last summer accidentally for about an hour - when I remembered and rushed out it was displaying a yellow triangular warning sign that my phone was too hot and to remove it from the source of heat immediately.

I'm assuming that feature still exists so people will at least get warning before their devices melt

reply to post by elevenaugust



Wow...that is an amazing map....one problem tho, see that purple area...that is in the middle of a desert, in fact all the "Hot" area in purple and black, is a desert, actually many deserts... The Simpson Desert, Sturts Stoney Desert (yes it is STONES as far as the eye can see, on red dirt...a bit like Mars

For those that dont know, it is also the lowest part of the country, that area is also covered by huge salt lakes, that only fill every few years from the floods to the north east.
That purple area is actually Below sea level......Yes it is the hottest part of the country.

No bushfires in that area, the vegetation isnt close enough together to create a fire...tho the lakes did have water in them last year.

The city I live in, is near the sea in the Gulf area below the purple..........When the North winds come, it is like a furnace........but its been mild this week.

No Australia is not BURNING!!!

Originally posted by bellagirl
reply to post by gort51

 

just one last thing.

as one of the above posters pointed out...the last time these warnings happened it developed into "black saturday"

173 people died that day....so take your sarcasm and blow it out your poofer valve.

Oh yes, just one last thing...

Thats not a nice way to talk Bellagirl!!! Very mature of you.

BTW, Sydney is NOT all of Australia.

But thoughts go to you that everything will be ok.

Originally posted by riddle6
For anyone else that is curious, 45C is about 113F. I've lived in Texas my entire life, so 100F+ is the norm most of the summer, but 110F+ and really dry conditions is horribly miserable. Seriously, stay safe everyone. Here's to hoping you get a much needed break soon.

If a Texan says its unbearable I would take his word on it as many think Texas is the hottest state.I've worked outdoors in 102°with 100%humidity one day.If you know any elderly folk you guys in Australia I'd call em and strongly suggest they don't tempt fate by going out in those conditions.Those are killing numbers...

Originally posted by gort51

Originally posted by bellagirl
reply to post by gort51

 

just one last thing.

as one of the above posters pointed out...the last time these warnings happened it developed into "black saturday"

173 people died that day....so take your sarcasm and blow it out your poofer valve.

Oh yes, just one last thing...

Thats not a nice way to talk Bellagirl!!! Very mature of you.

BTW, Sydney is NOT all of Australia.

But thoughts go to you that everything will be ok.

again...re-read the post. it was not just about sydney. the warnings covered the whole of the south east of the country. 3 states and 1 territory. .

The story behind the photo:
www.theaustralian.com.au...

reply to post by Cinrad


Wow.
That's I think that's crazy, even for an Aussie. Guys will do almost anything for their cricket.

But sad (A man died in this?)

Good luck everyone tomorrow. Here in Sydney we've had it good with a cool southerly and some rain yesterday and a bit today.
Here's hoping for the same the rest of tomorrow.
xx

Ok here is a link for video of the bush fires :- news.ninemsn.com.au...