Even though summer in Australia doesn’t start until next week (with the solstice), millions of Australians are expected to undergo a Severe Heatwave starting this weekend and into the coming week. Winds from the north have produced a dry, hot air mass, expected to move from the interior to the eastern and southeastern parts of Australia in the coming days. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says the heatwave is expected to develop from Canberra (Australia’s capital, inland from the country’s southeast coast) up toward Darwin (in Australia’s Northern Territory) as early as Saturday, December 14.
Heatwave warnings are in effect for the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. See the map above.
Heat waves and hot weather have caused more deaths in Australia than any other disaster, according to the Australian Red Cross. A Severe Heatwave, like what is expected this weekend into next week, isn’t common at this time of year. It poses the most risk to the elderly, children, and those with medical issues. Heatwave survival tips from the Red Cross here.
Severe heatwave in Australia: Temps
As an example of what to expect, in Australia’s capital of Canberra, the forecast highs are:
Saturday, December 14: 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sunday, December 15: 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
Monday, December 16: 39 Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit)
http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/calendar/climate-calendar?stn_num=066037&month=12&day=16
http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/calendar/weather-calendar?month=12&day=13&stn_num=070351
Heat Preparedness
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology as well as the Australian Red Cross encourage residents to prepare for a heatwave before it happens. They suggest speaking to doctors and caregivers to see how heat will impact you, or any medications you may be taking.
They also stress to do what you can to stay cool, including purchasing fans, making sure air conditioning is working properly, and what to do (and where to go!) if your power goes out during a heatwave. The Red Cross has a number of suggestions here https://www.redcross.org.au/emergencies/prepare/heatwaves-and-hot-weather/
Forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology call for temperature to cool off and become more seasonal by the end of the week.
Image Via: https://openverse.org/image/c2b617eb-de3c-4a67-87ae-9c2d76a11009?q=Sydney+australia
What is a “heatwave”?
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as:
… When the daily maximum and minimum temperatures are unusually hot over three days. This is compared to the local climate and past weather.
An important factor in this definition is that unusually hot minimum temperatures are included as well. The body recovers from the heat of the day by cooling off overnight, but if nighttime temperatures stay warm, the body can’t recover as easily, not only stressing it out when it should be recovering, but not properly preparing it for the next day’s heat.
The Bureau of Meteorology also uses a metric called the Excess Heat Factor, or EHF to help organize heatwaves into different levels. The EHF uses not just the average temperatures for the period of the heatwave (at least three days) but also the actual temperatures from the past 30 days. This allows the meteorologists to determine how much stress a persons body will deal with when the heat settles in.
What are the different levels of heatwaves?
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has three different levels, or “intensities” of heatwaves across the country. It is nearly summer in Australia, so the first level is fairly common during the hot summer months: low-intensity. A low-intensity heatwave is one most Australians can deal with during the summer.
Lastly, an Extreme Heatwave is considered rare. These are the most dangerous for all people who are dealing with the heat, including those who work outside. During an extreme heatwave everyone needs to actively work to stay cool, or risk heat-related issues or illness.
More people are killed in Australia due to severe and extreme heatwaves than any other natural disaster, and while most risks occur to the elderly and children, transportation, farming and energy can also be adversely affected by heatwaves across Australia.
It is nearly summer in Australia, so while hot weather is expected, temperatures are expected to climb above average, and possibly break high temperature records in some locations through the duration of this heatwave.
Bottom line: Heatwave warnings are in effect for the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.
Via Australia Bureau of Meteorology
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