Risk of bushfires rises in Australia amid widening heatwave
"Extreme" heatwave alerts have been placed for parts of Western Australia and have been extended to South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and the Northern Territory.
In the West Australian town of Meekatharra, Royal Mail Hotel manager Alex McWhirter said the heat could "cook you alive". / Photo: Reuters Archive
Large swaths of Australia have sweltered again through a widening heatwave, which the national weather forecaster said raised the bushfire risk in an already high-risk fire season as the country endures an El Nino weather pattern.
"Extreme" heatwave alerts, the highest danger rating, were in place for a second day for parts of Western Australia on Sunday and were extended to South Australia.
At the same time, areas of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory were under "severe" warnings, the forecaster said.
It cautioned that in Western Australia, the nation's largest state geographically, the remote Pilbara and Gascoyne areas could hit the high forties Celsius (up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday.
In the Pilbara mining town of Paraburdoo about 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) north of the state capital Perth, a high of 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) was forecast, more than seven degrees above the average January maximum, according to forecaster data.
It was 45.7 degrees Celsius (114 Fahrenheit) at 12:30 pm local (0430 GMT)
Severe & extreme #heatwaves have claimed more lives than any other natural hazard in Australia. Extreme heatwaves can affect anyone's health.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 20, 2024
This weekend, heatwave conditions are forecast for parts of #WA, #NT, #SA & #Qld.
Learn more: https://t.co/dW9s4aKw6K pic.twitter.com/snMNENxIrW
Hot and dry conditions
Australia's highest recorded temperature, 50.7 degrees Celsius (123 Fahrenheit), was logged at the Pilbara's Onslow Airport on January 13, 2022.
In the West Australian town of Meekatharra, Royal Mail Hotel manager Alex McWhirter said the heat could "cook you alive".
"You have the sun beating down from above, you've got the hot ground heating you from below and it is quite a challenge," the 29-year-old English national said. "I'm not sure that I want to try and go to bed tonight in 50 degrees without an aircon."
On the east coast, parts of New South Wales' capital Sydney were forecast on Sunday to reach 40 degrees Celsius, almost 10 degrees above the average January maximum.
In the city's west, it was 37.9 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) at 3:30 pm local (0430 GMT).
The hot, dry conditions raised the risk of bushfires in some areas, the forecaster said, during the El Nino, which is typically associated with extreme phenomena such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.
The last two bushfire seasons in Australia have been subdued compared with the 2019-2020 "Black Summer" when bushfires destroyed an area the size of Türkiye, killed 33 people, 3 billion animals and trillions of invertebrates.
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