Aircon failing as Queensland swelters through unrelenting heatwave: 'Worst in years'
Temperatures are climbing in Queensland and overheated locals are find their air conditioning is struggling to cope.
With not a breeze in sight, the phrase “the struggle is real” can be heard reverberating across Southeast Queensland this week as the state swelters through a four-day heatwave.
The Bureau of Meteorology has put residents on alert from Wide Bay to Burnett and Southeast Coast Districts with temperatures set to reach into the mid 30s on Friday. Residents in Brisbane, where temperatures will climb to 34 on both Friday and Saturday, already say they are struggling with the heat.
“[It’s] so humid the inside part of my aircon is spraying water,” one Brisbane local wrote online. “[I had to] put up some mesh to catch the rain.”
Sharing a photo of their hack on Reddit, the poster asked if anyone else “had to do some weird s**t to deal with this humidity”
‘Soles of my boots melted off’
Residents across the city that one user described as a “pressure cooker” didn’t hold back on dishing out their first-world problems.
“You know it’s summer in Brisbane when your small indoor air conditioner fills a 20-litre drum with condensation running for six hours overnight,” one person wrote.
“The soles on my work boots melted off yesterday on a job site,” another said. “[I] had them for years and only break them out occasionally. It’s the weather. It’s the worst I can recall for many years over the last two weeks.”
“How is it so hot that the wax strips that hold up my pictures are melting?” someone else asked, posting a photo of their failed wall hanging. “They’re from Kmart and have survived eight Brisbane summers.”
“My car left a wet spot the size of a dinner plate while I was opening the garage,” another commented.
Temps to hit high 30s, but 'will feel hotter'
While the mercury is predicted to hit 34 in Brisbane and 36 degrees in places like Caboolture and Gympie on Friday, Weatherzone warns the ‘feels like’ temperature will be a few degrees hotter.
“It looks like the heat is going to be peaking tomorrow, with temperatures three to five degrees higher for this time of the year,” meteorologist Brett Dutschke told Yahoo News Australia, adding that for areas nearer to the coast the heat is combining with high humidity for a “fairly oppressive run.”
For many, the outlook is too much to bear.
“I’m not leaving the house,” one person claimed on Reddit. “I have a summer cold and am parked in front of the air conditioning in Ipswich praying for the sweet Lord to take me home,” another said.
“Cold showers have been my best friend,” someone else added. “I might just move all my stuff into the bathroom and stay in,” another said.
While others have relished in a return to the office and company benefits. “Literally the only reason I go into the office is to avail myself of that cool, delicious air con,” one user wrote.
Weatherzone warns residents to stay inside
While a Queensland heatwave isn’t rare, Mr Dutschke says it’s been a few years since Queenslanders have felt the weather’s punch due to La Nina’s cloudy skies.
He’s urging everyone to stay indoors where possible.
“If you do have to go outside in the heat of the day, limit your time out there, cover up and drink water regularly,” he said. “Even if you might not feel thirsty, your body might not be telling you you're thirsty, but with this persistent heat the effects of heat stress can sneak up on you.”
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