Australia’s southern states are scorching in extreme heat that could break temperature records in Victoria and South Australia on Tuesday.

At Ouyen and Mildura in north-west Victoria, temperatures of 49C were forecast for Tuesday afternoon. If reached, they would break the state’s all-time temperature record of 48.8C, set in Hopetoun on Black Saturday in 2009. By 1pm, temperatures of 46.2C in Ouyen and 44.8C in Mildura had been recorded.

At Ouyen and Mildura in north-west Victoria, temperatures of 49C were forecast for Tuesday afternoon. If reached, they would break the state’s all-time temperature record of 48.8C, set in Hopetoun on Black Saturday in 2009. By 1pm, temperatures of 46.2C in Ouyen and 44.8C in Mildura had been recorded.

In Adelaide, the mercury hit 40C before 9.30am on Tuesday, after overnight lows of 35C, BoM observations showed.

Extreme heat is the most common cause of weather-related hospitalisations in Australia, and kills more people than all other natural hazards combined. What does exposure to extreme heat – such as a temperature of 49C – do to the body?

  • lechekaflan@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Why I feel that business hours during summer season have to be extended at least a couple hours before closing because it is debilitating to even try do anything even under the shade at over 40C. Also, much exercise I have to do during such a season needed to be conducted at night.

  • Nihilore@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    “Australians are finding out” yeah, we’ve BEEN finding out for as long as i can remember lmao. the hottest we’ve logged the factory i work in was 56 degrees (that was when outside was ~48)

  • Horsey@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Tucson here: June is routinely >40° every day here, but humidity is generally <30%. >60% humidity at that temperature kills if you’re not prepared.

    • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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      6 days ago

      thankfully our southern states aren’t particularly humid: equator to our north, antarctic to our south

  • MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
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    8 days ago

    In Adelaide, the mercury hit 40C before 9.30am on Tuesday, after overnight lows of 35C

    There are not enough swear words in my vocabulary to successfully articulate my reaction to that.

    • Nebraska_Huskers@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      40c is 104F, it’s not common but it happens where I live at least a few times a summer.

      49c is 120F that wouldnt be fun

      My state high happened near where I live in 1934. 118 degrees.

      Personally I think the highest I’ve experienced is 112.

      • MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
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        7 days ago

        The line I was reacting to stated an overnight low of 95. It was 104 by 9:30am. We’ve had stretches where it didn’t dip below 85 (cycle of nightly cloud cover basically acting as a wet blanket) and it was absolutely miserable. A low of 95 is nightmare territory.

        • Nebraska_Huskers@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          I live in corn country. At night and morning the corn swets, and makes the humidity skyrocket can easily make night stay in the high 80s low 90s sometimes

          • Soggy@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            To elaborate on “the corn sweats” for anyone curious, the process is “transpiration” and it’s a significant source of local humidity.

    • kingofras@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      It’s not that we’re not imperial, it’s just that we use very logical measuring units.

      • ramenshaman@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        Speaking as an American mechanical engineer who had to learn both systems… Do we? Do we really? Is multiplying everything by 10 not logical enough for you?

        • DiploRaucous@lemmy.world
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          8 days ago

          Pretty sure they were saying where they are, outside of the US, is also imperial but uses more logical units of measure (i.e. metric). Double-negative and all that.

        • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          I assume they meant aussies. You know, the country that the article is about, that uses metric, and that celebrated their genocide day yesterday

        • scarabic@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          Metric is superior for conversions.

          Imperial’s basis on body parts makes for highly intuitive human-scale measurements.

          I don’t spend all my time converting measurements, I guess. The 10x jump in increments sometimes leaves big gaps in usability. Centimeter level precision isn’t enough for carpentry. But I can’t read my ruler with milimeter precision unless I get out my glasses and turn all the lights on. 1/8ths of an inch are precise enough and easy to see. 🤷‍♂️

  • nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    7 days ago

    it kind of sucks living in a part of the world that requires you to sit in air conditioned bubbles all day. it’s a fucking depressing way to live.

    • bitwolf@sh.itjust.works
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      6 days ago

      That is exactly how I felt about Texas.

      And I was shocked no one thought to build or market reasonable 3rd spaces.

      I always imagined thats why there were so many drunk people out and about. Because the only habitable place outside of homes were bars if you didn’t have a gym membership.

      • nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 days ago

        yes. everyone is inside because it’s hot, and everyone is getting drunk because that’s the only thing there is to do, and everyone is driving a car because that’s the only way to get there. if you didn’t drive, then you’re waiting around for the person who drove you, and you’re getting really drunk because they don’t want to leave yet. what a stupid ironic life

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Plenty of 3rd spaces exist in Texas. You just have to pay to play. The hyper-capitalist dream is alive in the Lone Star State.

        I always imagined thats why there were so many drunk people out and about. Because the only habitable place outside of homes were bars if you didn’t have a gym membership.

        I gotta wonder how much of the decline of alcoholism in the subsequent generations boils down to affordability.

        Gym memberships are way cheaper than bar tabs.

  • Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    I lived in Perth for several years and I’ve seen 45 degree heat there. It’s a desert, so it’s dry heat. But that’s hot. Real hot. 49-50 is just insane.

    • Damage@feddit.it
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      8 days ago

      I live in Italy, in the valley around our biggest river. It’s humid as fuck. Summers used to reach 32-35°C. Nowadays 40-45°C is not uncommon. Our offices are usually air-conditioned, but production areas aren’t.

      • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        yeah, it was damn near 100% humidity the 46 day i was there. i was moving, too. fucking sucked but i had the joy of knowing it was my last day in texas.

        i have no idea how much water i went through, but we moved a tiny studio successfully.

  • ms.lane@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    It was ‘fun’ at work. We don’t have air con, just big sheds - plenty of ventilation though, it’s not still and not in the sun.

    It’s workable, you’ve absolutely got to keep up with hydration, stop for a drink every ~10-15mins, keep the fan on you.

    Double Wall 1L+ drink bottle is required, filled half with ice cubes to keep the water frosty.

    Can’t imagine how bad it’d be if it was humid.