Australia records hottest day ever - Axios

A firefighter conducts a back-burn to protect residential areas from encroaching bushfires on the Central Coast in Australian state of New South Wales. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Australia has endured its hottest day on record and worst ever spring for wildfire danger, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said in a climate statement Wednesday.

By the numbers: Preliminary findings show the national average temperature on Tuesday hit a high of 40.9C (106 degrees, beating the previous record of 40.3C (105 degrees) set on Jan. 7, 2013.

• The driest spring on record has left over 95% of Australia experiencing dangerous fire weather that's well above average and much of the country is in severe drought.

The big picture: Blair Trewin, a senior climatologist with the BOM, said in a video posted to the agency’s website, said many areas would shatter hottest December records and perhaps even the hottest temperature for any time of the year, with Saturday forecast to be a particularly searing day.

• Perth, the capital of Western Australia, has already smashed its temperature record for December after three consecutive days above 40C (104 degrees) at the start of the week.
• The dire heat warnings come as firefighters continue to fight wildfires, known in Australia as bushfires. The Washington Post notes that blazes in New South Wales have "emitted massive amounts of greenhouse gases and choked Sydney residents beneath a blanket of smoke."

Read the climate report:

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2019-12-18 09:31:00Z
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