© Tracey Nearmy/AAPAustralia is having an extreme heatwave, with daytime maximum temperatures forecast to extend up to the mid-40s in parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW.
Severe weather conditions forecast to bring maximum temperatures 8C to 16C above average, as three towns record overnight minimums of 33CPort Augusta in South Australia has reached 48.9C on Tuesday, as a heatwave sets in across much of Australia threatening more record hot days.
All-time highest minimum temperatures have also been broken in three places. Meekatharra in Western Australia and Fowlers Gap and White Cliffs in New South Wales all registered an overnight minimum of 33C on Monday.
Severe to extreme heatwave conditions extending from the interior of WA across South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, the ACT and NSW will bring maximum temperatures of 8C to 12C above average, and in some places up to 16C above average before the end of the week.
From Tuesday through to Friday, parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW may break January heat records, with daytime maximums extending up to the mid-40s.
"It's quite a significant heatwave because we are expecting a number of records to fall across those areas for both minimum and maximum temperatures," said Dean Sgarbossa, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology.
On Tuesday,
Port Augusta in South Australia reached 48.9C, an all-time high since records began in 1962.
Comment: The cold that is sweeping across Europe is being blamed on the meandering jetstream that's bringing arctic air further south and generally disrupting the usual weather patterns. Each year this is occurring more often and bringing longer, more intense winters, meaning even those areas that are used to heavy snow are struggling to cope:
- Swiss town cut off by heavy snowfall
- Australia extreme heatwave: 'Code red' issued as Port Augusta hits 48.9C
- Greengrocers fear winter weather in Spanish and Italian growing areas
- Wild animals descend on villages in search of food in Kashmir because of heavy snowfall
And for an idea of why this is occurring, check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?More footage from Austria: