We've been dealing with temperatures in the mid-30's to low-40's for weeks now. We've both made the comment that on hot days it feels like we're walking next to a blazing fire - no exaggeration! On these days, we also find that it smells exactly like a sauna! It's very strange, and it really makes us appreciate having air con at our home, at work, and in the car!
The heat this year has surpassed previous records. Temperatures soared to a national record average of 40.33 degrees on January 7, the highest since record-taking began more than 100 years ago! Australia even needed to add new colors to its heat map! Deep purple was added to represent temperatures ranging from 50 degrees (celcius) to 52 degrees, while magenta was added to represent temperatures between 52 degrees to 54 degrees. (Yes, it made it to 54 degrees one day this year in Brisbane!)
Unfortunately, all of this heat meant that the country was at severe risk of bush fires (or as the Country Fire Authority rated it, 'catastrophic').
At one point this month there were between 100 and 150 bush fires across NSW and Victoria States. We even had several fires within 50 km of Canberra city - there were a few days that we could see dark, smokey skies in the distance. Luckily we live in the city center so we really didn't face much risk, but many of our colleagues live outside the city. Pretty scary times, but luckily Canberra escaped without too much devastation this time.
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