The world's hottest places on earth were all in Australia
A scorching heatwave is sweeping over Australia. Temperature records have been broken in towns across the country, with the government cautioning people to minimize physical activity and stay hydrated.
The extreme heat is also causing wildlife to die and fruit to cook from the inside out. What's even more staggering is that 15 of the world's hottest temperatures on Tuesday were all in Australia, per 9News.
Australia often dominates temperature readings during summer, but this was a record-high. Given the current spell, weather experts are not writing off the possibility of a 50-degree reading.
"Certainly the duration of this event and the spatial extent of the heatwave across the southern half of Australia seems to be quite significant," Jacob Cronge, a senior meteorologist told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"By the end of the week, we should see many records broken across NSW."
The past 4 days are in Australia's top 10 warmest days on record—and the trend looks like continuing today. The nights have been warm too, which is what defines #heatwave conditions https://t.co/u6dbfmKPk6 Stay cool, check on loved ones & follow advice from health authorities pic.twitter.com/8Qisw9m4LM— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 16, 2019
The high temperatures pose serious health threats –– people with asthma and other respiratory problems are particularly vulnerable, according to Dr. Richard Broome, director of environmental health at New South Wales Health.
"Ozone levels are higher outdoors than indoors, and generally highest in the afternoon and early evening, so limiting time outdoors during the heat of the day and in the evening helps people to not only keep cool but to limit their exposure to ozone pollution," he said.
A health warning in place since Tuesday details the signs of heat-related illness, some of which includes dizziness, tiredness, thrist, fainting, and muscle pains.
Take care, folks.