Small respite in Australia’s drought and heat wave by Frances Runnalls
The longest heat wave of any Australian capital city looks set to ease in Adelaide over the coming days, after 15 consecutive days of temperatures above 35C (95F). Temperatures hit 40.5C (105F) in Adelaide at the end of last week, with the heat wave surpassing the record set in Perth in 1988.
Spokesperson Mike Bassanelli from the Adelaide Weather Bureau said the sweltering heat across southern Australia is beginning to ease; “the cool air has already begun to cross the Nullarbor coast, so we will see a shallow change come through.” Temperatures over the next few days are expected to peak at 29C (84F) before decreasing through Wednesday.
Relief has also begun to be felt across New South Wales from the drought which has hit the region over the past two years. The area under drought continued to decrease, falling 6.1% to 40.3% of the state over the last month. However the southwest parts still remain under severe drought, which is Australia’s worst in over 100 years.
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