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Scorching conditions and intense bushfires have devastated the dry landscape of Western Australia. With temperatures expected to persist climbing above 40C (104F) over the coming days, a severe alert for extreme heat has been declared across much of the south-west.

Widespread Extreme Heat Alerts Across the Region

This situation come after recent fires in New South Wales, which resulted in the destruction of properties and fatalities. Intense heat alerts have also been issued for later this week in parts of South Australia and NSW, as a system of high pressure moves to the east, delivering intense heat to a broad swath of the region.

The combination of extremely dry land and unbroken high temperatures presents a volatile situation for emergency crews.

Global Weather Extremes Cause Chaos

In another part of the world, a major city was plunged into darkness last week after powerful winds damaged the city’s power grid, with falling trees knocking out power lines. The weather conditions also led to major transport delays at a key airport, where hundreds of air services were cancelled. Severe damage to power systems is expected to cause further issues as service providers scramble to restore power to more than 1 million residents.

Unusual Mist Covers Sunny Region

Meanwhile, a region known for its sunny weather and plentiful sunlight has experienced one of its dullest and foggiest periods on recorded history. A specific type of fog, which typically lingers for only a short time, has been remarkably widespread and long-lasting this year, keeping temperatures at a major airport below 8C for over a week – the longest such streak in more than three decades. The prolonged fog has been fuelled by unprecedented fall precipitation that resulted in soils waterlogged.

• Key Factor: Exceptional autumn rainfall saturated the soil.
• Outcome: Prolonged and dense fog formation.
• Impact: Thermal readings remained unseasonably low for an lengthy period.

Storm Delivers Wintry Weather to Holiday Destination

Turning to another country, a weather system has ushered in intense rainfall, strong winds and even snowfall to a set of islands – weather many would not associate with this favored tourist spot. While wintry precipitation is not unknown at elevated areas, the system delivered some of the heaviest snow depths since 2016 to a national park, compelling its temporary shutdown.

In addition to the snowfall, fierce northerly winds swept across the archipelago, with gusts reaching 50mph recorded on multiple islands. The influence of the weather event is expected to ease this week with more typical conditions returning.