Extreme weather with heavy rain and storms has caused severe flooding and widespread power outages in parts of Australia. On the island of Tasmania, authorities issued evacuation orders for six towns around the Derwent River. The national weather office had previously issued a flood warning for the river. The southern parts of the country were particularly affected by the storms.
In Tasmania and the state of Victoria, including the metropolis of Melbourne, more than 100,000 people were temporarily without electricity, ABC reported. Chris Kilby, a farmer from Westwood in northern Tasmania, spoke of “absolutely terrible winds.” The storm blew off roofs and uprooted trees. A 63-year-old woman died when a tree smashed a holiday cottage in Moama on the border between New South Wales and Victoria.
Sydney was also affected: Dozens of flights had to be cancelled at the city’s airport because of the storm. Only one of the runways could be used, an airport spokesman told Sky News Australia.
Heat records in the west and north
In contrast, the weather is completely different in Western Australia and the Northern Territory: New heat records for the time of year have been broken here recently – it is currently winter down under.
In the Kimberley region, which is popular with tourists, 41.5 degrees was measured last week at the weather station in Yampi Sound. This was the highest temperature ever measured at this time of year. Overall, August was the warmest month in Australia since weather records began, said the weather service Weatherzone. The country is particularly affected by the consequences of climate change.
