Warning Issued as Australia's Heat Wave Hits Record Highs
Australia is sweltering under record-breaking temperatures as an extreme heat wave continues to sweep across the country, causing wildlife to die and fruit to cook from the inside out.
The past four days are in Australia's top ten warmest days on record, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said in a tweet on Wednesday, with all of the country's eight states and territories affected.
South Australia's Port Augusta hit a scorching 48.5 degrees Celsius (119 F) on Tuesday, the highest since records began in 1962, according to CNN affiliate Nine News. The town of Tarcoola in South Australia reached a sweltering 49 C (120 F).
Elsewhere, temperatures stayed well above 40 C (104 F) and the hot weather is expected to lastuntil Friday. One town in northwestern Australia, Marble Bar, suffering through 22 consecutive days of temperatures above 40 C, at one point almost reaching 50 C (122 F).