Published 08:02 IST, December 21st 2019
Australia: Roads melt amid record-breaking heatwave conditions
Australia is currently reeling under the heatwave which led to the melting of roads in parts of the country which forced the local council to issue advisory.
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Australia is currently reeling under a record-breaking heatwave which led to the melting of roads in parts of the country. Port Augusta City Council, in a Facebook post, said that some roads were showing ‘signs of bleeding’ due to extreme heat conditions.
“McConnal Road, Alma Street, Forster Street and Cobbin Street have all shown signs of bleeding,” said the council.
It also advised commuters, other than the local residents, to avoid the roads and take an alternate route. In some of the parts of South Australia, the temperature soared to almost 50 degrees Celsius and Nullarbor set the December record for the state, reaching 49.9 degrees Celsius.
Nice try @BOM_Qld and @BOM_WA but it looks like the December record will stay with us for now! 49.9°C at Nullarbor at 4:54pm, preliminary data puts this as the 4th highest temp on record (all months) in Australia. 🌡️🥵 Obs at: https://t.co/OazoPRe4P8https://t.co/1gyIs23TQa
— Bureau of Meteorology, South Australia (@BOM_SA) December 19, 2019
Extreme conditions
The heatwave has aggravated the bushfire situation in Australia and a public health emergency was declared recently in Syndey. New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons had said that the bushfire season has been unprecedented which decimated more than three million hectares of land. The expected damage is thrice the deforestation due to Amazon fires since, according to official data, deforestation in Amazon rainforest surpassed 10,000 square kilometres within a year, the highest in more than a decade.
Fitzsimmons said that the crew is facing huge difficulties to access some of the difficult terrains and stop the bushfires from spreading further. The threat of further damage remains as the forecasters have predicted a scorching heat with temperature surpassing the current record of 50.7 degree Celsius. According to the NSW Rural Fire Service, there are 100 bush and grass fires in the region, and 55 fires are still to be contained.
“Crews are taking the opportunity of favourable conditions over coming hours to consolidate containment options supported by heavy plant ahead of dangerous fire conditions tomorrow,” tweeted the agency.
04:10 IST, December 21st 2019