Australia's hottest days – the record temperatures still standing after latest heatwave
With back-to-back heatwaves taking over Australia over the past few weeks it can be easy to think it can’t get any hotter – but it can and it has!
Australia’s long-standing heat record had been threatened in recent days but still stands at 50.7 degrees, recorded at Oodnadatta Airport in South Australia on January 2, 1960.
Temperatures in South Australia on Thursday fell just short of the 50-degree mark with Port Augusta registering 49.5 degrees.
Unsurprisingly, most of Australia’s heat records are from Western Australia and South Australia, but what are the highest temperatures recorded for each state.
South Australia
As well as taking out the top spot, Oodnadatta also holds the record for the third highest temperature in Australia.
On January 3, 1960, a day after breaking the record, temperatures soared over 50 again to 50.3.
Western Australia
The western state’s hottest day on record was set on February 19, 1998, when the weather station at Mardie, 460km north-east of Exmouth, hit 50.5 degrees.
New South Wales/ACT
No other states have reached above 50, but the town of Menindee certainly came close. On January 10, 1939, temperatures at the small rural town hit 49.7.
Queensland
Queensland’s hottest day on record comes in at number nine on the list of Australia’s warmest days.
The town of Birdsville near the South Australian border reached a sweltering 49.5 on Christmas Eve in 1972.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is known for its heat and humidity – and the residents of Finke would know that better than any Territorian.
The town, located 240km south of Alice Springs, recorded temperatures of 48.3 on January 2, 1960 – the same day the Australian record was smashed in Oodnadatta.
Victoria
Nine out of 10 of Victoria’s top temperatures occurred on the same day; February 7, 2009. The hottest town was Hopetoun, in the state’s north-west, with a sizzling top of 48.8.
Tasmania
Tasmania may typically be our coldest state, but multiple towns around the state on January 30, 2009, recorded temperatures over 40.
The east-coast town of Scamander topped the list, with an incredible 42.2 for the Apple Isle.
Worldwide
The hottest place in the world is recognised in the Guiness Book of World Records – but it’s not without controversy.
El Azizia in Libya held the record for exactly 90 years for an unbelievable maximum of 58, but the feat was disqualified in 2012 after an investigation found the measurement could be inaccurate by up to seven degrees.
The world record was officially given to Death Valley in California, where a scorching 56.7 was measured on July 10, 1913.
