January was Australia's hottest month ever: gov't

The Lucky Country.

People expect leaders to fix these problems. But that is not the point: things change and people need to adapt and change - as always they did, eventually - at local, national and now international levels.

It juts sucks that leaders like Trump and his ilk do what they can to thwart adaptation. Like the Liberal-national coalition in Australia bringing back coal power when everyone locally is getting solar. Solar powered airconditioning is, like, a no-brainer on a sun-baked day, with a battery to take it into the sultry night. If Aussies as a nation want to stay hot and pay for it, be my guest. Or do something about it.

No sympathy for such when they get thrown out or just knocked on the head, just grandstanding in the way as they do.

The government's Bureau of Meteorology said the mean temperature across the vast continent in January exceeded 30 degrees Celsius for the first time in recorded history.

That's the January average across the entire Country if we break that down by highest state capital average interpretation

Melbourne 31C in 1908

Sydney 29.6C in 2017

Brisbane 31.5 in 2004

Adelaide 34.2 in 1908

Perth 33.5 in 2012

Broome 35.5 in 1970

Darwin 33.4 in 1970

Hobart 25 in 2003

https://www.eldersweather.com.au/

Watkins said the main immediate cause of the heat was a persistent high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea south of Australia which blocked cold fronts and cooler air from reaching country.

Once that high pressure system clears watch the temperature drop

That's why we are travelling to Japan. Top of 2° today where we are.

@inkochi - People expect leaders to fix these problems. But that is not the point: things change and people need to adapt and change - as always they did, eventually - at local, national and now international levels.

It juts sucks that leaders like Trump and his ilk do what they can to thwart adaptation. Like the Liberal-national coalition in Australia bringing back coal power when everyone locally is getting solar. Solar powered airconditioning is, like, a no-brainer on a sun-baked day, with a battery to take it into the sultry night. If Aussies as a nation want to stay hot and pay for it, be my guest. Or do something about it.

No sympathy for such when they get thrown out or just knocked on the head, just grandstanding in the way as they do.

Why would you even mention Trump? I don't even understand that last statement.

Here are a few facts for you: Australia does a have a large carbon footprint per capita. However Australia's energy use is also 50% renewables. One-third of the electricity for south-east Australia is hydro-electric power. Solar power makes up most of the rest of the 50% of renewables. The reason Australia uses coal is because the country is covered in coal.

As for the excessive heat: Yes, January may well have been the hottest on record, but records have only been kept for a little over 100 years. The weather in Australia is cyclic and extreme temperatures have been happening on and off since records have been kept. It is nothing unusual. Furthermore, there is nothing to connect Australia's use of coal to the extreme temperatures. Japan also had the hottest August for 100 years last year.

The government has blamed the fish die-off on the drought, which is only half true. The Darling river system has been dammed just over the Queensland boarder for the huge cotton farms. The dams cover an area of nearly 30 square kilometers. The Darling river is the only river system in the world that runs inland. It is fed by the monsoon runoff from the mountains in Queensland. However, this runoff has been stopped by the cotton farm dams. Usually, there are rains in the lower reach catchment areas that have kept the Darling flowing. but the rains did not come this year causing the river to stop flowing, which depleted it of oxygen and killed all the fish. There is ample water in the cotton dams to restore the flow to the Darling river system, but the Queensland government will not let it go because the problem is in New South Wales. This stalemate has been going on for over 50 years since the dams were first constructed.

One-third of the electricity for south-east Australia is hydro-electric power.

Do you have any more information about that? I've read that 8% of Australia's entire electricity comes from hydro. That sounds a little different.

The hottest temperatures during the month were experienced in South Australia, where the mercury hit 49.5 degrees C on Jan 24.

Can't go outside in that kind of heat. Ironically it's MINUS 49 degrees in some parts of the U.S. now. Can't go outside in that kind of cold.