Australia has been suffering under a massive heat wave in the past week. Temperatures have ranged from 40 degrees Celsius on the coast to 51 degrees Celsius inland. The effects of the heat have been felt by many Australians, including those attending the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, where games were stopped on account of the heat. Power outages were in place to handle the unprecedented demand by air-conditioners. More importantly, the heat poses a significant threat of bush fires in rural Australia and a health risk to the elderly citizens.
This event poses as an interesting juxtaposition to the extreme cold experienced in the United States at the beginning of the month, where record-breaking low temperatures were felt in many areas. The contrast of the southern hemisphere's summer and the northern hemisphere's winter is quite fascinating
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-Oren Katzen
Source for this article: time.com