Science Alert - 1/18/13, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Although Australia's temperature has gone above 48 degrees before, the current heat wave has been far from typical. Image: KHL49/iStockphoto
Australia has started 2013 with a record-breaking heat wave that has lasted more than two weeks across many parts of the country. Temperatures have regularly gone above 48°C, with the highest recorded maximum of 49.6°C at Moomba in South Australia. The extreme conditions have been associated with a delayed onset of the Australian monsoon, and slow moving weather systems over the continent.
Australia has always experienced heat waves, and they are a normal part of most summers. However, the current event affecting much of inland Australia has definitely not been typical.
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