Australia is so hot that temperature maps have gone purple Bureau of Meteorology, Australia

Roads melting, fish dying and bats falling from trees – this is what global warming looks like. Many records have been smashed during Australia’s latest heatwave. Most notably, on 17 January Noona in New South Wales recorded Australia’s warmest ever night with temperatures remaining above 35.9°C. Canberra has also had four consecutive days of temperatures above 40°C for the first time.

Healthy people can tolerate very high temperatures as long as humidity is low for sweating to cool us. But when temperatures remain high overnight and for several days in a row, it can be dangerous, especially for the young and elderly.

There’s little doubt that climate change has played a big part. Heatwaves in Australia have been getting hotter, longer and more frequent as the planet warms.


Fortunately this heatwave has peaked already. Temperatures are forecast to fall over the coming days.

During another heatwave in November, more than a third of the country’s flying foxes died, according to Justin Welbergen of Western Sydney University. The toll from the latest heatwave is not yet clear.