AFP, Sydney :
Australia suffered its hottest month ever in January, when widespread heatwaves exacerbated an already devastating drought, fuelled bushfires and contributed to mass fish deaths, officials reported Friday.
The government’s Bureau of Meteorology said the mean temperature across the vast continent in January exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time in recorded history.
“We saw heatwave conditions affect large parts of the country through most of the month, with records broken for both duration and also individual daily extremes,” said senior bureau climatologist Andrew Watkins.
Watkins said the main immediate cause of the heat was a persistent high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea south of Australia which blocked cold fronts and cooler air from reaching country.
But he added that broader global warming trends, which have seen Australian temperatures increase by more than one degree Celsius in the last 100 years, “also contributed to the unusually warm conditions”.
The bureau said rainfall was also below average for most of Australia during January, worsening an already severe drought for much of the country’s east, until a late January monsoon brought flooding to the northeastern state of Queensland.
The hottest temperatures during the month were experienced in South Australia, where the mercury hit 49.5 degrees C (120 degrees F) on January 24.
Authorities said the January heatwave contributed to the deaths of more than a million fish in the Murray-Darling river system, the country’s largest running through five states in the east of the country.
Meanwhile, bushfires-which are frequent summer occurrences in Australia’s arid southeast-spread far into the tropical northeast of the country in January.
South Australia experienced its driest January since 2013.
And Adelaide had one of the city’s hottest Januarys on record, with maximum temperatures the highest for at least 10 years. For the first time since 1957, the BOM’s Adelaide city site recorded zero rainfall for the month.
Western Australia had one of its hottest Januarys on record, but temperatures were cooler than average in parts of the west coast and south-west.
Rainfall for the state was below average and the month was the driest since 2005.
While most of WA was suffering in the heat, Perth recorded its coolest January in more than a decade and rainfall was about average.New South Wales recorded its hottest January on record for mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures.
The north-east of the state also experienced one of its driest Januarys on record.
Sydney had one of its warmest Januarys on record, with average rainfall.
Victoria also set a new record for January heat.
Its rainfall was below average, with most of the state receiving less than 20 per cent of the month’s average.
Melbourne was exceptionally warm, with some sites recording their highest ever January temperatures. The city also had one of the 10 driest Januarys on record.
The ACT also had its hottest January ever. The BOM’s Canberra airport site had a record run of four days above 40C.
The Northern Territory recorded its hottest January and the delayed onset of the monsoon contributed to the Territory receiving less than half its average January rainfall.
Darwin had one of its warmest Januarys on record while rainfall was also below average.
Queensland similarly had its hottest January and a monsoon low brought heavy rainfall to parts of the state.
Brisbane was very warm, while rainfall was very low at about 20 per cent of the January average.
Tasmania had its hottest and driest January on record, as did Hobart.
Australia suffered its hottest month ever in January, when widespread heatwaves exacerbated an already devastating drought, fuelled bushfires and contributed to mass fish deaths, officials reported Friday.
The government’s Bureau of Meteorology said the mean temperature across the vast continent in January exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time in recorded history.
“We saw heatwave conditions affect large parts of the country through most of the month, with records broken for both duration and also individual daily extremes,” said senior bureau climatologist Andrew Watkins.
Watkins said the main immediate cause of the heat was a persistent high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea south of Australia which blocked cold fronts and cooler air from reaching country.
But he added that broader global warming trends, which have seen Australian temperatures increase by more than one degree Celsius in the last 100 years, “also contributed to the unusually warm conditions”.
The bureau said rainfall was also below average for most of Australia during January, worsening an already severe drought for much of the country’s east, until a late January monsoon brought flooding to the northeastern state of Queensland.
The hottest temperatures during the month were experienced in South Australia, where the mercury hit 49.5 degrees C (120 degrees F) on January 24.
Authorities said the January heatwave contributed to the deaths of more than a million fish in the Murray-Darling river system, the country’s largest running through five states in the east of the country.
Meanwhile, bushfires-which are frequent summer occurrences in Australia’s arid southeast-spread far into the tropical northeast of the country in January.
South Australia experienced its driest January since 2013.
And Adelaide had one of the city’s hottest Januarys on record, with maximum temperatures the highest for at least 10 years. For the first time since 1957, the BOM’s Adelaide city site recorded zero rainfall for the month.
Western Australia had one of its hottest Januarys on record, but temperatures were cooler than average in parts of the west coast and south-west.
Rainfall for the state was below average and the month was the driest since 2005.
While most of WA was suffering in the heat, Perth recorded its coolest January in more than a decade and rainfall was about average.New South Wales recorded its hottest January on record for mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures.
The north-east of the state also experienced one of its driest Januarys on record.
Sydney had one of its warmest Januarys on record, with average rainfall.
Victoria also set a new record for January heat.
Its rainfall was below average, with most of the state receiving less than 20 per cent of the month’s average.
Melbourne was exceptionally warm, with some sites recording their highest ever January temperatures. The city also had one of the 10 driest Januarys on record.
The ACT also had its hottest January ever. The BOM’s Canberra airport site had a record run of four days above 40C.
The Northern Territory recorded its hottest January and the delayed onset of the monsoon contributed to the Territory receiving less than half its average January rainfall.
Darwin had one of its warmest Januarys on record while rainfall was also below average.
Queensland similarly had its hottest January and a monsoon low brought heavy rainfall to parts of the state.
Brisbane was very warm, while rainfall was very low at about 20 per cent of the January average.
Tasmania had its hottest and driest January on record, as did Hobart.
