Warming up in Oz

[bigrus]

Heatwave putting lives at risk
Thursday, January 29, 2009 » 06:36am


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As the mercury soars, the heatwave in Melbourne and Adelaide continues to put lives at risk.

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As the mercury soars, the heatwave in Melbourne and Adelaide continues to put lives at risk.

National parks and reserves on Adelaide's fringes will be closed as extreme heat and fire danger drag into another day.

The Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) chose to close its parks in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu Peninsula as Adelaide's temperature topped 45 degrees, and with the city heading for its hottest week in 100 years.

SA's chief medical officer Paddy Phillips said the elderly, babies and young children were most at risk.

The furnace-like conditions were forecast to continue until at least Sunday, likely giving the city six days in a row above 40 Celsius for the first time since 1908, after Tuesday's top of 43.2 degrees.

Wednesday's high was also closing in on the city's all-time record of 46.1 Celsius set on January 12, 1939 while a top of 44 degrees is predicted on Thursday.

Last March, Adelaide had a record long heatwave with 15 consecutive days above 35 degrees.

In a statement, a DEH spokesman said the parks would close because of the extreme fire risk.

'All vehicle entry points to parks will be closed and the public are advised not to enter any of the parks via walking trails or any other means,' the statement said.

Only the Mount Lofty Summit, Cleland Wildlife Park recreation zone, Belair National Park, and the Newland Head Conservation Park (including Waitpinga and Parsons beaches) would remain open.

DEH fire crews are on standby.

As Adelaide sweltered, conditions further north were even worse with some outback centres reporting temperatures above 50 degrees, prompting health authorities to urge all South Australians to take extreme care.

The heatwave is continuing in Victoria today with 43 degrees forecast to hit Melbourne.

Premier John Brumby says high temperatures will stretch power supplies to the limit.

Mr Brumby says there have been talks with Lifesaving Victoria to request more lifesavers to patrol popular beaches as people flock to the water at night to cool off.

Winds up to 40 kilometres an hour will create more bushfire-favourable conditions at Ballarat and near Melbourne, 100 thousand staff firefighters on standby.

The Bureau of Meteorology says that Victoria's weather will remain hot for another week with temperatures mostly above 30.

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Thought you guys would like to see what we have to put up with in Australia.
Good  weather though 

Russ
 
 
 
 
   



 
 
 

[B6mick]

Russ to be totally honest with ya, I efen hate it.

Melb hit 45 c yesterday.
Out here its even hotter, we did a measurement in the shade in the back yard, and the poor old thermometer, near broken its poohper valve, it clearly showed 52c mind you it could well have been higher,  it only goes up to 52c Most of the rooms in the house that don't get air con, where all 48+

One of my customers sent his workers home at 1pm he checked the temp at 65c in the factory, then walked back into his air conned office.

It was that hot here up in the hills we rode down to the beach to get a good night sleep, and yes we do have air con, and no our power did go off.

[bigrus]

Russ to be totally honest with ya, I efen hate it.

Melb hit 45 c yesterday.
Out here its even hotter, we did a measurement in the shade in the back yard, and the poor old thermometer, near broken its poohper valve, it clearly showed 52c mind you it could well have been higher,  it only goes up to 52c Most of the rooms in the house that don't get air con, where all 48+

One of my customers sent his workers home at 1pm he checked the temp at 65c in the factory, then walked back into his air conned office.

It was that hot here up in the hills we rode down to the beach to get a good night sleep, and yes we do have air con, and no our power did go off.

So when are you moving north to sunny QLD Mick? That's rediculous
It seems to get hotter every year down that way, at least it's more consistant up here, I don't know how you do it, I would seriously consider moving somewhere cooler.
Maybe Tassie in summer and back home for the cooler months, cheap houses in Tassie too, and don't forget, good  roads as an added bonus.
Russ

[B6mick]

And its heating up again, once upon a time we would moan and groan about 30 plus days, let me tell ya 30 plus is nice, almost cool.
After the 3 days of mid 40c, we went to a wedding, and it was 30 plus, it almost felt cool and freshing  but it did make for some good drinkin weather, let me tell you.

So today we are fitting up another 2 1/4hp air con, to the bedrooms end of the house. I'm sick of sleeping on the beach, or on the floor of the lounge, trying to get a good nights sleep. For tonight the gates of hell can swing open wide, i'm sleeping in my bed with the efen doona to keep me warm, to hell with green house gas etc etc etc, I want to throw the doona off in the middle of the night and freeze my long suffering gonads off.

Tomorrow expected top is going to be 43c, so I would expect to check the outdoor gauge around midday to find 50c plus in the shade. Thank god for beer and air con, and for a refreshing break the river water hole just down the road.

And as a footnote, I don't know how far away the fires are but the sun has been blocked from view by the thick layers of smoke here, so we is crossing fingers, toes, legs, arms, and eyes, hoping the winds stay down, the last thing we need is bush fires roaring up or down the valley

[B6mick]

Air cons great inside the house every room is under 30c, the gauge is off its limits, the skies are full of smoke, the wind from the north and is hot and strong, fires raging 80 k's to the south and about the same to the west. At the moment not to much of problem but when the expected wind change hits from the sth west who knows what shyte will happen. battening down the hatches


Well shyte does happen fires now 10k's to the nth and west, and an unoffical report of 7k's to the east, its 5 pm and the streetlights are on, 

update 19:00hrs we are cut-off all roads out of here are closed,
the ember attack has abated but we have fires on all fronts some less than 5-6 k's away.

[B6mick]

We is ok, the weather died in the butt at the best time for us anyway for many, sadly they have lost everything and many have lost their lives, for the time being we are safe, but I can not stress enough, that should the winds and the temp pick up we could be facing another yesterday, and the news this morning is telling us that some of yesterdays fires where diliberatly lit . Bring back social efen justice, and let those who lost so much have 5 minutes each with the prick , may the lowlifes burn in their own hell.

For those of you who have had a look at my video in happy new years thread, most of that is gone to the fire.

[Down Under]

Glad your OK mate.  My deepest sympathy for those who have lost loved ones in the fires.  A very black day for Victoria indeed.  I hope assistance is swift for those who are suffering and homeless.  I hope the detection and prosecution of the human excreta that started these fires is just as rapid!!!!! 

[bigrus]

We is ok, the weather died in the butt at the best time for us anyway for many, sadly they have lost everything and many have lost their lives, for the time being we are safe, but I can not stress enough, that should the winds and the temp pick up we could be facing another yesterday, and the news this morning is telling us that some of yesterdays fires where diliberatly lit . Bring back social efen justice, and let those who lost so much have 5 minutes each with the prick , may the lowlifes burn in their own hell.

For those of you who have had a look at my video in happy new years thread, most of that is gone to the fire.

Great to hear you're ok for the moment mate, keep an eye out and don't take any chances, a lot have been caught out and paid dearly, 66 so far.
When is someone going to put these pricks (that light the fires) behind bars, instead of a slap on the wrist and released only to do the same f...ing thing again. It happens every year down there 

[B6mick]

the death toll so far stands offically at 136, unoffical 166, but we are being warned to expect well over 200. The fires to our west Yarra Glen Toolangi, Chum Creek and Healesville, have just in the last 1/2 hr flared up again, we are the next town up river and valley. fingers crossed again.

[bigrus]

Just had a look at the area on google earth, it was very beautiful before the fires, lots of waterfalls and rainforest, good luck mate.
Russ

[B6mick]

Just had a look at the area on google earth, it was very beautiful before the fires, lots of waterfalls and rainforest, good luck mate.
Russ

Your dead set right about it being beautiful, Russ. I've had a love affair with this region of Victoria for most of my life, and not just as a motorcyclist, a fisherman, a hiker and a cyclist. Lastest update Healesville has been told to leave, my twin sons live there, and have left. As I said on the last post we are the next town upstream in the valley, should the winds change we are next on the fire front. Hoping it all comes under control in the next day or 2, looks like the weather could turn hot with nth winds again. Should that happen, well I don't even want to think about it.

[r_outsider]

Good luck to you, yours and everyone else down there, Mick.

[scooter trash]

Good Luck Mick, My wife and I are praying that you are spared the devastation of this horrific fire.