‘Air conditioners are struggling’: parts of NSW, Queensland and Victoria swelter as heat records tumble | Australia weather

People in key parts of western New South Wales, south-west Queensland and Victoria suffered another day of sweltering conditions as more local records fell across the country and temperatures in some mountain areas exceeded 30C for the first time.

Temperatures reached 40 degrees again in western NSW and rose to 49.2 degrees in the far west Borrona Tablelands. All-time temperature records were set at Tibooburra (48.7°C), Hay Airport (48.4°C) in south-west NSW, and 48.3°C at White Cliffs, breaking the previous record of 48.2°C. Yarrawonga in north-east Victoria had its hottest day, reaching 46C.

Temperatures reached 30.5C in the highlands of Falls Creek in Victoria and Perisher Valley in NSW; This marks the first time temperatures above 30C have been recorded in both regions. The average maximum January temperature at Falls Creek is 18C, while Perisher is 16.5C.

“This tells you how warm the air mass is, even in the highlands at the top of the mountains the temperature is still 30.5 degrees,” said Dean Narramore, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.

Narramore said no records had been broken in Queensland, but the highest temperature in the state on Wednesday afternoon had reached 48.5 degrees at Thargomindah in the south-west.

By Wednesday afternoon, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner said 11,000 homes were without power due to heat stress on energy infrastructure.

‘Climate change in real time’

Residents of many cities and towns in NSW have now been exposed to temperatures above 40C for several days.

Mel Gray lives in the mid-western NSW city of Dubbo, where temperatures have been above 40°C since Saturday and the maximum temperature is not expected to fall below 40°C until Monday.

Gray, who works for the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, said Dubbo residents were experiencing “real-time climate change”.

The city broke its all-time temperature record on Monday, reaching 46.1C. On Wednesday, the temperature rose to 43C in the afternoon, with a maximum of 44C predicted. Dubbo’s average January maximum is in the low 30s. The city has not recorded a single day where the temperature dropped below 30C this month.

He said the persistent nature of the heat was “scary.”

“The town is quiet. There’s no one there in the afternoon. Everyone stays inside,” he said.

Graeme McCrabb lives in the western NSW town of Menindee, where temperatures reached 49.1 degrees on Tuesday and the 40s on Wednesday, with official data not available until Thursday morning.

McCrabb said the standout feature of the heat wave was that the heat continued day after day without relief.

“I came here in the ’47s, but the weather was very hot. The air conditioners do not work. Everyone tries to hide. They leave the streets, go inside and stand in front of the air conditioner.

“You can see the bird life struggling. You can see the wildlife and the kangaroos taking shelter in whatever shade they can find.”

Wednesday’s conditions come a day after two locations in Victoria broke all-time temperature records of 48.9 degrees. Narrmore said the heat would return to northern South Australia on Thursday and continue into south-west Queensland and north-west NSW. Some areas will not see any relief until Sunday.

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Forest fires continue

As major fires continue to burn out of control in Victoria, residents of Gellibrand were warned on Tuesday night that the town’s water treatment plant would not be able to continue providing water due to bushfire damage.

Gellibrand River General Store owner Cherry Smith said they were told the power and water would be out soon, but they weren’t sure how long it would last.

“Of course we can get this back up and running quickly,” Smith said. “Because if we get affected here at the store, that means we can’t serve anyone.”

Smith had kept the store open by cooking meals for CFA volunteers and local residents until Tuesday night, when she had to defend her family’s nearby farm.

“We were trying to protect our property last night, but we stayed open during the day just to provide shelter or a place to get some food,” he said.

They managed to save their farmhouse, but the fire came within 500 meters of the market. He said CFA was working continuously throughout the night to extinguish spot fires and flying embers.

“They worked very, very hard throughout the night,” he said.

He spoke with one person who lost his home last week and said the community is bracing for more property losses.

“There are a lot of people who are not so lucky… but there are a lot of people who haven’t returned to the city yet,” he said.

“We are not sure what property was lost. But we are all grateful that no lives were lost.”

Tonight they’re preparing bowls of pesto pasta and boxes of fresh produce for locals to take away.

An emergency warning remains in effect for Otways communities threatened by the Carlise River fire, which has been burning for days.

Wednesday was the first day of school for many public school students in Victoria. However various schools and educational facilities The southern and northeastern regions were closed due to fires.

“We know how important it is for students to get back to routine as soon as possible, which is why we are working hard to ensure schools affected by these devastating fires can reopen as soon as possible,” education minister Ben Carroll said.

Shannon Randall is a CFA volunteer firefighter in Birregurra, a town just outside the emergency advisory area for the Carlisle River fire.

He said Birregurra was a “special little town”. “We have a really good sense of community and we all have each other’s backs and help each other in times of need.”

He said the local brigade had been working overtime, but firefighters from other areas were now flocking in to give locals a break from exhaustion.

Australia is experiencing its second major heatwave in January, following another earlier in the month, and analysts say it is five times more likely due to global warming.

The climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heat waves and wildfires.

Warmer than average days and nights were expected to continue through April across much of the country, according to the latest long-range forecast. Sea surface temperatures will remain above the global average, including around Australia.

– Additional reporting by Petra Stock