Bush fire in Australia

SYDNEY, Australia — Bush fires raging across some of the most populous parts of Australia — feeding off widespread drought conditions and high winds — pushed firefighters to their limits and residents to their wits’ end on Wednesday as meteorologists tracked the country’s hottest spring and summer on record into uncharted territory.


Four months of record-breaking temperatures stretching back to September 2012 have produced what the government says are “catastrophic” fire conditions along the eastern and southeastern coasts of the country, where the majority of Australians live.

Data analyzed on Wednesday by the government Bureau of Meteorology indicated that national heat records had again been set. Tuesday was the third hottest day in Australia since statistics began being kept in 1911, breaking a record set only the day before; the average temperature across the country was 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit). Meteorologists have had to add two new color bands to their forecast maps, extending their range up to 129° Fahrenheit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/world/asia/record-heat-fuels-widespread-fires-in-australia.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0