Australia heatwave: South Australia breaks temperature records as Tasmania bushfires rage.
West Terrace in Adelaide cracked 46.2 degrees C at 1:42pm local time this afternoon, after 130 years of records, beating its previous record of 46.1 on January, 12 1939.
More than 15 heat records have been broken across the state, as temperatures reach the high 40s in many regional areas.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the first record to fall was at Minlaton, on the Yorke Peninsula, where it reached 45.7 degrees C just after 11am.
All eyes were on Port Augusta, the hottest place in Australia, as the town broke its own record of 48.9 degrees C that was set on January 15, hitting a peak temperature of 49.1 degrees C at 3.15pm.
Adelaide-based Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Hilary Wilson told news.com.au several regions will see their records obliterated.
“We have very hot temperatures forecast that could see quite a number of records broken,” Wilson said.
As was expected, the extreme heat has shifted towards the southeast. The current temperatures again show the vast extent of this heat extending across the country, with large areas above 40 degrees.
Meanwhile, crews are battling scores of fires across Tasmania. Around fifty fires are burning across the state on Thursday. Two-thirds of them are considered uncontained, and authorities are bracing for worsening conditions.
“On a whole, across the whole part of the state, I haven’t seen conditions at this level,” the Tasmania Fire Service’s regional chief, Jeff Harper, said.
The conditions are set to peak from 5am on Friday, with hours of dry air, temperatures reaching into the high 30s, and 40km/h winds gusting up to 90km/h.
