For grey nomads in many parts of the country, a sharp rise in the temperatures in recent day has left them looking for ways to keep their cool.
Huge swathes of Queensland and the Northern Territory have been given heatwave warnings, with the north of Australia tipped to be ‘one of the hottest places in the world’ this week.
News.com.au reports that, for Queensland, the dangerous heat is forecast to stretch from Toowoomba in the south and Birdsville in the western Outback through to Weipa and Thursday Island in the far north.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a low intensity heatwave will cover much of the inland part of the state, while a ‘severe heatwave’ is forecast for the Channel Country and Maranoa and Warrego Districts, with towns such as Cunnamulla, Thargomindah and Quilpie in the firing line.
The heat is on! And many grey nomads will be heading to the water to try to keep their cool. PIC: Sebastian Voortman / Pexels
“Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell,” the bureau stated in its warning. “Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre or shopping centre, close your windows and draw blinds, curtains or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home … if available, use fans or air conditioners to keep cool.”
Maximum temperatures are set to reach the high 30s to low 40s across the inland parts of the state.
News.com.au reports weather forecaster, Weatherzone, as saying the northern half of Australia will likely be ‘one of the hottest places in the world’ this week, though temperatures will rise all over the country.
“A mass of hot air will spread across Australia this week, causing temperatures to climb in parts of every state and territory,” Weatherzone’s, Ben Domensino, said.
“As usual, the highest temperatures will occur over the interior and in northern parts of Australia, although even the southern states and some coastal areas will feel the pre-summer warmth.”
The heatwave warning comes soon after it was announced that Australia had recorded its second-warmest October since national records began 114 years ago.
Bureau of Meteorology data of average of daily maximums and minimum temperatures, collected from hundreds of weather stations, revealed last month was 2.51 degrees above average.
October was the ninth month from 10 this year for temperatures across Australia significantly above average.
The exception was April which recorded temperatures marginally cooler than what is usually experienced.
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20 degrees & sunny here in Melbourne.
We stay home in air-conditioned comfort every Summer.
We wonder why everyone gets so worked up about the weather these days, we live in Australia “a land of droughts & flooding rains” as the poem goes.
The media like to hype it up.