Extreme weather fuelled by pool of hot air circulating over Australia’s inland prompts emergency warning and a code red in South Australia

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Sixteen people with heat-related conditions have presented at hospital emergency departments across South Australia with seven admitted for further treatment as temperatures reached up to 48C during the third day of Australia’s record-breaking heatwave.

The Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday that the past four days had been among Australia’s 10 warmest on record for average maximum temperatures across the country.

On Wednesday New South Wales Health officials warned the high temperatures expected for the rest of this week were expected to contribute to “high ozone air pollution” across Sydney in the coming days. Train commuters have also been warned about potential delays in the afternoon.

The majority of the state is forecast to exceed 41C from Wednesday to Friday, something the Bureau of the Meteorology says has not been seen in 80 years.

By midday on Wednesday, the mercury had soared past 43C across much of NSW’s central west. Some areas, including White Cliffs, Wilcannia, Ivanhoe and Mount Hope, topped 45C.

In Sydney, temperatures reached the mid-30s in the west – including Penrith, Camden and Badgerys – while at Observatory Hill in the CBD it was a cooler 30C at lunch time.

It came after record-breaking heat on Tuesday, when all-time heat records were set in Carnegie in Western Australia (47.8C) and Tarcoola (49C), Port Augusta (48.9C) and Ernabella/Pukatja (44.5C) in South Australia.

The Bom is forecasting more temperature records, including through southern and central NSW, over the coming days.

Quick guide Heatwaves and climate change in Australia Show Hide According to the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO, Australia has warmed by 1C since 1910, and temperatures will increase in the future. So how will climate change affect future heatwaves in Australia? The CSIRO and BoM have compiled different models for predicting the outcome of climate change in Australia to produce a guide to how different regions will likely be affected. They found that every part of Australia will continue to experience increases in average temperature, and will have a higher frequency of hot days.

The duration of hot spells will increase in every region. In many areas in the northern half of Australia, the average number of days above 35C could increase by two to three times.

Late in the century, towns such as Darwin, Alice Springs and Broome may experience days with temperatures above 35C for about a third of the year. These higher temperatures will also result in higher evaporation, which will continue to make drought conditions worse.

Ozone pollution is created when smog from things like car exhaust fumes react with oxygen in the air on hot days. It can cause respiratory problems including reduced lung function, chest pain and coughing.

Dr Richard Broome, the director of environmental health at NSW Health, warned people with asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases were especially vulnerable to the health effects of ozone.

“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.

“Anyone experiencing severe respiratory distress should seek immediate medical help.”

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NSW transport minister Andrew Constance said given the extreme heat, there could be some disruptions to the train network.

Air conditioned trains that were scheduled for routine checks will be returned to service, while extra maintenance and medical staff are on stand-by to deal with any issues.

“Please be careful of the dangers associated with the heatwave we’re experiencing, particularly in western Sydney,” Constance told reporters.

“There’s very little we can do when you’ve got this degree of heat hitting steel tracks (but) at the same time we want to make sure we’ve got the staff on broad as quickly as possible to be able to respond.”

The warning comes as temperatures continue to soar across large swathes of Australia.

Temperatures across South Australia are running 10C to 12C above average, fuelled by a pool of hot air that has been circulating over inland Australia since November.

Canberra is forecast to hit a high of 41C and many towns in the NSW central west, riverina and upper western regions are expected to reach temperatures of 45C or higher, including Dubbo (45C), Griffith (46C) and Condoblin (47C).

In Victoria, temperatures will reach 45C or above in towns including Wangaratta (45C) and Swan Hill (46C).

On Tuesday, Port Augusta posted a top temperature of 48.9C, the highest ever recorded in the South Australian mid-north town. In Tarcoola, further north, the mercury hit 49C, also beating the town’s previous record of 48.9C.

Both communities are forecast to experience similar conditions on Wednesday while a string of other towns will also have tops in the mid to high 40s. Adelaide is tipped to have a top of 40C, after similar maximums on Monday and Tuesday.

The severe weather has prompted warnings from emergency and health authorities for people to take care, as the state’s hospital networks start to track heat-related admissions.

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Authorities are particularly concerned about the impact on those most vulnerable, including the homeless, the elderly and those with medical conditions.

“Heat is the worst of our natural emergencies with excess hospital presentations, ambulance transfers and even people potentially dying,” South Australia’s chief medical officer, Paddy Phillips, said.

The Bureau of Meteorology regional director for South Australia, John Nairn, said the heatwave had its origins in the severe weather that baked Queensland late last year.

“Since then we have not had a weather event that has pushed the hot air out of the continent and it’s been recirculating back and forth,” he said. “It’s basically a very large pool of air that’s been building and that’s not being shed.”

SA’s State Emergency Service has issued an extreme heatwave emergency warning and the state government has declared a code red.

The code red triggers extra funding so services for the homeless can be extended while a special phone line will also operate for the next two days, providing regular checks on the elderly and others at risk.