Newszine

Wild Weather Around the World

Tragedy down under

While winter weather continues to entrench itself in the U.S. and other northern countries, the story is much different south of the equator where it is now the peak of summer.

Australia has been hit particularly hard as the country simultaneously deals with a blistering heat wave and deadly wildfires in the southeast and severe flooding in the northeast. The heat wave, which Australia’s National Meteorological Service is calling an exceptional and historic event, has yielded dozens of record-high temperatures in the states of Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia during late January and early February. Many areas recorded triple-digit temperatures for days at a time. In northern Victoria, temps remained above 104 degrees Fahrenheit for nine consecutive days, ending with a day of 114 degree heat. The normal summer average in the region is 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although there were dozens of heat-related deaths and hundreds of people treated for heat-related illness, the heat wave set the stage for a much more devastating weather occurrence: wildfires. Known as bushfires in Australia, these massive, fast-moving fires have swept through southern Australia, killing over 100 people, destroying up to 700 homes and burning more than 840,000 acres of land in Victoria alone. Despite warnings from Australia’s Meteorological Services that the hot, dry conditions were ideal for bushfires, the state was overwhelmed when the fires actually struck. Many people died as they ran or drove to escape the blaze that towered 40 feet high. Entire towns were wiped out in hours. Australian officials believe arsonists are responsible for some of the fires and have suggested that, if caught, the arsonists will face murder charges.

Meanwhile, floods have devastated parts of northern Queensland as the result of ex-tropical Cyclone (Hurricane) Ellie hitting the area Feb.2. Some locations have gotten over 8 inches of rain a day, which has flooded riverbanks, streets and homes. The floodwaters have also flushed animals out of their natural habitat and residents in northern Queensland have been warned to be on the lookout for crocodiles swimming in the streets. In a BBC news report, a hotel manager said she saw a 13-foot crocodile stalking residents and dogs in the flooded main street of the town of Normanton, located on the northern tip of Australia. The woman also warned the town would run out of beer in a few days.

“We can put up with a lot of drama, no fruit and veggies, but nobody wants a pub with no beer,” the woman told Brisbane’s Courier-Mail newspaper.