‘Silent killer’: heat on health as hot spell drags on
Australians are being warned that the ongoing heatwave in many parts of the country is a public health emergency and lives are at risk.
States from Queensland to South Australia are being scorched by a long record-breaking heatwave, with the mercury soaring towards 50C in many areas.
Severe and extreme heatwave conditions in inland areas are expected to continue through the weekend before easing.
Health expert Kate Charlesworth said prolonged and frequent heatwaves should be treated as a public health emergency.
“Heat is a silent killer,” said Dr Charlesworth of the Climate Council.
“It has killed more Australians than all other extreme weather events combined; more than 1,000 people died in heatwaves between 2016 and 2019.”
Extreme heat warnings have been issued for Victoria, NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT.
Locations likely to be affected include Broken Hill and Bourke in NSW, Roxby Downs and Marree in South Australia, where temperatures are expected to reach 49C, Birdsville and Thargomindah in Queensland, and Canberra and Belconnen in the ACT.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s David Crook said the severity of the heatwave in Victoria, where bushfires were raging, was comparable to previous ones in January 2009 and January 1939.
Data from the bureau shows a long-term increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves due to climate change, particularly since 2000.
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said the state would experience eight consecutive days of temperatures above 40C.
Victoria broke its own temperature record as Walpeup in the state’s north reached 48.9 degrees on Tuesday.
It’s also been a particularly scorching week for Wilcannia in northwestern NSW; Temperatures have risen above 47C for three consecutive days and are expected to reach the same level on Thursday.
The NSW Rural Fire Service issued a total fire ban for the Northern Slopes region on Thursday due to hot, dry and windy conditions.
The fire ban, which started at midnight, covers Gunnedah, Gwydir, Inverell, Liverpool Plains and Tamworth.
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