Australia has been breaking records for heat in April

The heat is "more characteristic of mid-summer than mid-autumn."
 By 
Johnny Lieu
 on 
Australia has been breaking records for heat in April
An unseasonably warm April. Credit: Getty Images

Usually the sear of Australia's summer heat would've subsided by now, as winter approaches.

Instead, the country is experiencing an unseasonably warm April so far, prompting Australia's Bureau of Meteorology to explain the unusual event.

The heat is "more characteristic of mid-summer than mid-autumn," according to its special climate statement, where the country has been experiencing higher than usual maximum temperatures in the first half of the month.

April 9 was the hottest April day on record in Australia, with a national average of 34.97 degrees Celsius (94.95 degrees Fahrenheit), eclipsing a record set in 2005.

The country's hotter-than-usual spell primarily affected the country's northwest. Before 2018, nowhere in Australia had a recorded temperature higher than 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

That number was broken four times, with Western Australia's Mardie Station and Roebourne recording the highest temperatures of 45.9 degrees Celsius in the last days of March.

The heat then moved southeast, with records set at Nullarbor, South Australia (42.2 degrees Celsius or 107.9 degrees Fahrenheit) on Apr. 9, and Pooncarie, New South Wales (40.5 degrees Celsius or 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit) on Apr. 10.

"The heat had been building up in north western Australia since monsoon rains ended in mid-March," Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Blair Trewin said in a statement online.

"North westerly winds then brought the hot air mass southeast at the start of this week, which is when we saw the impacts on South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales."

The heat has also persisted in some areas, with Sydney's 11 consecutive days of temperatures over 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) breaking an April record.

It's a situation which has seen plants affected in the country's botanical gardens, reports the Sydney Morning Herald, confused by the late surge of heat.

In early April, parts of Asia saw severe heatwaves that also broke records. As climate change continues to affect the world, these kinds of extreme events are set to become more regular.

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Johnny Lieu

Mashable Australia's Web Culture Reporter.Reach out to me on Twitter at @Johnny_Lieu or via email at jlieu [at] mashable.com

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