Records may tumble over the next few days with temperatures in both Melbourne and Adelaide soaring. The record for Adelaide is 46. degrees C (114.98 degrees F), set 70 years ago. Yesterday it topped 45.5 degrees C (113.9 degrees F).
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Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
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Weather – always a good topic. Hot here, but the cities always feel hotter with the same temperatures. Think it is that they are closed in canyons or concrete, reflective surfaces. Anyway, there seems to be more movement of air, which has several degrees cooling effect, in the bush. Birds drop out of the trees here on the 45c hot still days. The cities, with restricted air flow and higher radiation/reflective heat, do it very hard in the 40c+ temps.
Reached 47c (116F) here yesterday, windy, and just short of the max record. Tad better today. Other than the temps, many of us are relieved to at last see some seasonal summer weather.
Cheers from the sauna,
Helen
The Australian is running an online poll today (Thurs 29 Jan) on whether readers believe that the current heat wave in southern Australia is evidence of Global Warming. When I checked, about 65% of readers felt that it was NOT evidence.
But cold weather in the USA is evidence it is not warming. Go figure.
No Helen, it tends to be hotter around place like Mildura than it is in the city.
SJT, rural areas may measure hotter; my area often measures warmer than Adelaide. But what does it feel like? Heat seems to bounce right back off those city buildings and pavements, and air movement is restricted. At the same temperature, cities seem to feel warmer. At about 40c Adelaide feels like about 43-4c here. Adelaide at 44-5 c would be just about unbearable. A two days ago the SA State Govt asked its citizens find other ways of keeping cool than switching their air conditioners on. Went down a treat. Adelaide is now having rolling power stoppages.
Thanks for the update Helen. My only experience of such heat is in the Sudan in about 1991. It is very dry there, so I found it perhaps more bearable than lower temperatures but more humid conditions. What’s the humidity like where you are?
Minister Wong is claiming climate change: The scorching weather across southern Australia proved the accuracy of warnings by climate change scientists, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/heatwave-shows-climate-scientists-are-right-wong-says/1419596.aspx
Hi Jen
Humity counts. Yesterday it reached 47.5c here, with, if I remeber correctly, about 6% humidity. Today it reached 42c, is now35c and about 40% humidity. Quite sticky. Dry heat is easier to cope with than than sticky heat. That is why water cooled AC’s (which I have) are not suitable for the sub tropics. Refrigerated AC is the only way to go there. And refrigerated AC is the only way to go in the nice modern houses, with no wall-sheltering verandas, in the southern cities.
I can’t believe this, Jen. Checked out some SA current temps and found this for Ceduna on an Ag site.
Ceduna at 18:24 CDT
Temperature Dew Point Rel. Humidity Feels Like *
35.4°C 35.2°C 99% 73.4°C
Wind Gusts Pressure Rainfall
S 30km/h 37km/h 1004.1hPa 0.0mm
If that’s not a mistake, it rather answers the question of why humid temps feel warmer than dry temps.
But that is not the point of my original observation. At over 40c, all air is of relatively low humidity. I still feel the difference in ‘livability’ is the radiative heat and reduced air circulation in the urban areas.
As regards Climate Change Minister Pwong, if the scientists are correct, as she claims, (and we are all about to fry,) then the Govt had better get cracking and build more base load power stations fast. Or the long-suffering voters will elect in someone who will.
Just checked that site for Ceduna lastest weather again
Temp 28C, Dew point 28C, Relative Humidty 100, Feels like 38C. Better, but still looks improbable.
Many records in Victoria, NSW and SA have been broken.
Melbourne reached 46.9 a new time record – beating even the Adelaide previous all time high.
Hopetoun in Melbourne’s west hit 48.8 a new time record. And at the Melbourne city fringe in Laverton we got 47.9.
Yet another example of the kind of temperature extremes that are occurring more frequently as a result of human increases in CO2 emissions since the beginning of the industrial revolution
Now with commercially available solar (with thermal storage) and wind power we can get a wiggle on and decarbonise the various sectors of our economy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OkqJw1oTMk
(BBC on massive Solar Power stations in Spain)