An early summer heatwave swept over large parts of Australia on December 16-17, 2023, helping to fuel dozens of bushfires in New South Wales.
An early summer heatwave swept over large parts of Australia on December 16-17, 2023, helping to fuel dozens of bushfires in New South Wales.
The map above shows modeled air temperatures across Australia on December 16. It was produced by combining satellite observations with temperatures predicted by a version of the GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) model, which uses mathematical equations to represent physical processes in the atmosphere. The map represents temperatures at about 2 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time, and the darkest reds indicate areas at or above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
The heatwave was especially intense in Western Australia, where temperatures reached above 40°C (104°F), which is up to 10°C (18°F) above normal for the time of year, according to the country’s Bureau of Meteorology. On December 16, the remote mining town of Telfer recorded 45°C (113°F), the highest temperature recorded anywhere in the country on that day. The heatwave also extended to the eastern parts of Australia. Temperatures in Brisbane reached 33°C (91°F) that day, and Sydney airport reached 34°C (93°F).
Read more at NASA Earth Observatory
Photo Credit: geralt via Pixabay
