Oops!
Homepage
Accessibility links
Sign in
Search
News
BBC News Navigation
Sections
World
ADVERTISEMENT
Australia
Australia weather: January was hottest month on record
Image copyrightAFP/GETTY
Image captionTennis matches at the Australian Open were suspended because of the heat
Australia recorded its hottest month ever in January, with average temperatures exceeding 30C (86F) for the first time.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the extreme heat was "unprecedented" during the country's summer period.
At least five January days were among the 10 warmest on record, with daily national temperature highs of 40C.
The heat has caused wildfire deaths, bushfires and a rise in hospital admissions.
Several wildlife species have also suffered, with reports of mass deaths of wild horses, native bats and fish in drought-affected areas.
ADVERTISEMENT
Just how bad did it get?
A large swathe of the state of New South Wales bore the brunt of the fortnight of extreme heat, with temperatures also soaring in parts of Queens, South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory.
Media captionMillions of dead fish have been found in New South Wales
How were records broken?
"We saw heatwave conditions affect large parts of the country through most of the month," climatologist Dr Andrew Watkins said.
Records were broken for both duration and also individual daily extremes, he said. Rainfall was also below average for most areas.
ADVERTISEMENT
Australia has increasingly endured hotter summer temperatures. Last year Sydney experienced its hottest day since 1939, with a maximum temperature of 47.3C.
"The warming trend which has seen Australian temperatures increase by more than one degree in the last 100 years also contributed to the unusually warm conditions," Dr Watkins said.
How is climate change affecting Australia?
Officials have confirmed that 2018 and 2017 were Australia's third and fourth-hottest years on record respectively.
The Bureau's State of the Climate 2018 report said climate change had led to an increase in extreme heat events.
Even if global temperatures are contained to the Paris accord limit of a 2C rise above pre-industrial levels, scientists believe the country is facing a dangerous new normal.
Parts of eastern Australia suffered their worst drought in recent history last year, while thousands of Australians fled their homeswhen bushfires swept through Queensland in November.
Related Topics
Share this story About sharing
More on this story
SPORT Australian trainer in welfare scandal charged
Australia strike 'may have' killed Iraqis
Wife seeks refugee footballer's release
More Videos from the BBC
Elsewhere on BBC
Recommended by Outbrain
You Might Also Like
Top Stories
Trump: Wall talks a 'waste of time'Australia records hottest month everUS polar vortex death toll rises to 21
Features
The long ordeal of Asia Bibi
VIDEO
What happened to Take A Knee?
VIDEO
Eggs, bubbles, T-shirts: Fun in the freeze
Girl raises $62,000 for care home residents
The plane journey that set Iran's revolution in motion
Inside the village destroyed by a dam
Whatever happened to global warming?
VIDEO
'My country is more dysfunctional than yours'
Tracking sanctions-busting ships on the high seas
Elsewhere on the BBC
Football phrases
15 sayings from around the world
Full article Football phrases
Most Read
Why you can trust BBC News
BBC News Navigation
BBC News Services
Home
Homepage
Accessibility links
Sign in
Search
News
BBC News Navigation
Sections
World
ADVERTISEMENT
Australia
Australia weather: January was hottest month on record
- 1 hour ago
- Share this with Facebook
- Share this with WhatsApp
- Share this with Messenger
- Share this with Twitter
- Share
Image captionTennis matches at the Australian Open were suspended because of the heat
Australia recorded its hottest month ever in January, with average temperatures exceeding 30C (86F) for the first time.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the extreme heat was "unprecedented" during the country's summer period.
At least five January days were among the 10 warmest on record, with daily national temperature highs of 40C.
The heat has caused wildfire deaths, bushfires and a rise in hospital admissions.
Several wildlife species have also suffered, with reports of mass deaths of wild horses, native bats and fish in drought-affected areas.
ADVERTISEMENT
- How they weathered the heat
- Drought seen from the air
- Why Australia's extreme heat might be here to stay
Just how bad did it get?
A large swathe of the state of New South Wales bore the brunt of the fortnight of extreme heat, with temperatures also soaring in parts of Queens, South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory.
- In Tasmania, fire crews battled more than 50 bushfires fuelled by dry conditions and strong winds
- Health authorities said 44 people had come in for treatment in the space of 24 hours in South Australia
- Several tennis matches at the Australian Open in Melbourne were suspended
- The city of Adelaide broke its own records twice in the month, first reaching 47.7C and then 49.5C
- More than 90 wild horses were found dead or dying in Northern Territory
- Snakes have sought shelter and water in people's bathrooms, with one python climbing up a shower, according to a snake catcher in Queensland
Media captionMillions of dead fish have been found in New South Wales
How were records broken?
"We saw heatwave conditions affect large parts of the country through most of the month," climatologist Dr Andrew Watkins said.
Records were broken for both duration and also individual daily extremes, he said. Rainfall was also below average for most areas.
ADVERTISEMENT
Australia has increasingly endured hotter summer temperatures. Last year Sydney experienced its hottest day since 1939, with a maximum temperature of 47.3C.
"The warming trend which has seen Australian temperatures increase by more than one degree in the last 100 years also contributed to the unusually warm conditions," Dr Watkins said.
How is climate change affecting Australia?
Officials have confirmed that 2018 and 2017 were Australia's third and fourth-hottest years on record respectively.
The Bureau's State of the Climate 2018 report said climate change had led to an increase in extreme heat events.
Even if global temperatures are contained to the Paris accord limit of a 2C rise above pre-industrial levels, scientists believe the country is facing a dangerous new normal.
Parts of eastern Australia suffered their worst drought in recent history last year, while thousands of Australians fled their homeswhen bushfires swept through Queensland in November.
Related Topics
Share this story About sharing
- Australia horse deaths: Wild animals perish at dried-up waterhole
24 January 2019 - Australia swelters through record-breaking heatwave
18 January 2019 - Australian woman bitten by snake in toilet
25 January 2019 - How one heatwave killed 'a third' of a bat species in Australia
15 January 2019 - Video Australia fish deaths: Thousands found floating in New South Wales
9 January 2019
SPORT Australian trainer in welfare scandal charged
- 1 February 2019
- From the sectionHorse Racing
Australia strike 'may have' killed Iraqis
- 1 February 2019
- From the sectionAustralia
Wife seeks refugee footballer's release
- 30 January 2019
- From the sectionAustralia
More Videos from the BBC
The ‘untranslatable’ Japanese phrase
A lost town deep in the Amazon
Tributes to Gleneagles chef Andrew Fairlie
'I will be like my hero Ronaldinho'
The House of Yes: where consent is compulsory
The secret to a good deal
Elsewhere on BBC
Recommended by Outbrain
You Might Also Like
Top Stories
Trump: Wall talks a 'waste of time'Australia records hottest month everUS polar vortex death toll rises to 21
Features
The long ordeal of Asia Bibi
VIDEO
What happened to Take A Knee?
VIDEO
Eggs, bubbles, T-shirts: Fun in the freeze
Girl raises $62,000 for care home residents
The plane journey that set Iran's revolution in motion
Inside the village destroyed by a dam
Whatever happened to global warming?
VIDEO
'My country is more dysfunctional than yours'
Tracking sanctions-busting ships on the high seas
Elsewhere on the BBC
Football phrases
15 sayings from around the world
Full article Football phrases
Most Read
- 1UK weather: More snow due to hit UK
- 2Jeremy Hardy: Comedian and Radio 4 panel star dies aged 57
- 3UK weather: Schools closed across Wales and England
- 4Baby found abandoned in freezing East Ham park
- 5Trump to NYT: Wall talks a 'waste of time'
- 6Januhairy: What I learned when I stopped shaving
- 7Oddbins off-licence chain calls in administrators
- 8Jussie Smollett: Police want to question two people over US actor attack
- 9Quiz of the Week: Which Bowie character is in the news?
- 10Australia weather: January was hottest month on record
Florida is Set To Give Solar Panels To Orange City Families At No CostSolar Savings News
2019 Crystal Cruise Sale: Contact a Travel Agent TodayTravel Leaders
Florida: Seniors With No Life Insurance Should Do This Before Feb 15financejournal24.com
3 Ways Your Dog Asks For Helpdogfoodexposed.com
[Gallery] Ron Howard Breaks Fans' Hearts With Terrible News On His FamilyMaternity Week
Fukushima: Innovation hub for high-quality medical devicesMinistry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Why you can trust BBC News
BBC News Navigation
BBC News Services
Home
- Terms of Use
- About the BBC
- Privacy Policy
- Cookies
- Accessibility Help
- Parental Guidance
- Contact the BBC
- Get Personalised Newsletters
- Advertise with us
- Ad choices