#SA #Weather #Heatwave #News #Corp Adelaide could be hottest city on earth today with temperature forecast to reach 46C Adelaide could be the hottest city on earth today, according to the UNs World Meteorological Organisation which gathers official global predictions. The temperature has already climbed above 40 degrees Celsius for the fourth day in a row on its way to a possible top of 46C. The next closest location is in Brazil, where Rio de Janeiro is expected to reach a comparatively mild 40C. Adelaide could also break its 75-year-record for its hottest day - a searing 46.1C in January 1939 - after its warmest night in five years. The mercury only dropped to 29.9C just before 6:30am, with the temperature still above 35C at 2:00am. Acting regional director at the Bureau of Meteorology, John Nairne, says a new record high for the city is not out of reach. The trick with the heatwave is the high minimum weve come off overnight, he said. In Adelaide we came off a temp of 30 degrees this morning so we get to the high temps quicker and have to endure them for longer during the day. The bureau says a forecast mild change will arrive later than expected, with a fifth day in the 40s likely tomorrow. Hospital admissions rise as people seek relief The number of has steadily increased this week. Janice Fletcher from the Australian Medical Association says fatigue and irritability are commonplace, as people struggle for relief. People are probably tired and getting sick of it. It depends on if they can get sleep, how they feel when they wake up, she said. It can be stressful if you dont have air-conditioning or working outside. The numbers of people presenting to hospitals with heat related illnesses has risen but there are many more going undiagnosed. One local, Rachel Ryan, has been drinking lots of water, wearing sunscreen and staying indoors as much as possible but she was caught out after a short bike ride yesterday. I was incapable of waking up yesterday afternoon, she said. I slept for two hours and after that I broke out in an angry heat rash and today I feel like I have one of the worst hangovers of my life. More than 70 people have gone to South Australian hospitals over the past few days with heat-related conditions. SA Health says 46 people were treated on Tuesday for issues including dehydration, sunburn and heat rash, including five children who were taken to the Womens and Childrens Hospital. Rolling blackout warning as grid battles heat stress Electricity distributors have warned of possible rolling blackouts if the pressure on the electricity grid reaches boiling point. The Government has confirmed power could be switched off to suburbs to prevent a system meltdown, as air-conditioners kick into overdrive. Joe Adamo from the Australian Energy Market Operator says load-shedding has not occurred yet, but high temperatures in Victoria could further stress the network. Its a national grid. Its interconnected. Theres a lot of sharing that goes on and thats the way the market operates, he said. Consecutive days of extreme weather like were seeing is putting a lot of strain on the network. The last time we saw demand this high was back in 2009. Paul Roberts from SA Power Networks says a decision to cut power could be determined on a national level. The electricity distribution network has been under pressure all week ... but it is standing up well, he said. Were pushing our crew rostering towards being later in the day as the demand picks up and the heat picks up. Regional heat records could also be broken across the state. The temperature in Mount Gambier is expected to reach 44C - the fifth day in a row over 35C, which has not happened in the town since February 1971. German cyclist Jens Voigt says Tour Down Under preparations are continuing despite the heat. People warned us before that were having a little bit of a heatwave here so we try to go out very early, he said. Trying to be back home after our training ride before the heat really strikes in and just keep drinking, drinking, drinking I suppose. Water bombers called in from Queensland, NSW, Victoria Five firefighting aircraft from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria have flown in to help crews on the ground as bushfires continue to burn. The CFS has warned fires on the west coast could be unstoppable in todays extreme conditions. State coordinator Leigh Miller says the fire causing most concern at the moment is burning out-of-control about 30 kilometres north of Ceduna. He says the fire is not currently threatening the town, but northerly winds forecast for today could push it in that direction. Our crews on the ground are really stretched, were starting to see a few people have heat exhaustion type issues, he said. Fighting fires in 40 odd degrees weather with little sleep is a real problem for us. Were not sure of the exact location or what the fire behaviours like, or what the fuel loads are like in the path of the fire, so once we know those things well be able to work out a strategy of how to tackle it. Bushfires at Rockleigh near Monarto and near Delamere on Fleurieu Peninsula are currently burning within containment lines. A woman who suffered burns while trying to protect her house from the Rockleigh fire has been released from hospital. Government, Greens at odds on misleading train pamphlet While many South Australians are just trying to stay cool, political battles remain heated. Transport Services Minister Chloe Fox says a pamphlet being handed out about trains being cancelled is misleading passengers. The pamphlet, endorsed by Greens MP Mark Parnell, has an image of a train on the front and the word cancelled, and was handed out at Adelaides railway station. Ms Fox says while train services have been reduced during the heat, extra carriages have been put on to cope with demand. She says the pamphlet is part of a political stunt. Its caused a great deal of distress for some commuters and I would like to get the message out there, if you are going down to the Adelaide train station and somebody hands you a leaflet that says cancelled, your trains are not cancelled, she said. Mr Parnell denies the pamphlet is misleading. During this heatwave they have been cancelling peak hour services but certainly people looking at this flyer arent being misled, theyre catching their trains even though during this heatwave there are less of them, he said. Source: ABC Thursday January 16, 2014 - 12:41 EDT © ABC 2014 abc.net.au/news/2014-01-16/rolling-blackouts-possible-as-adelaide-heads-for-46c/5202514?§ion=news
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 02:15:06 +0000
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