Australia experienced its hottest day on record and temperatures are expected to soar even higher as heatwave conditions embrace most of the country. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the average temperature across the country of 105 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday beat the record of 104 degrees Fahrenheit from Jan. 7, 2013, reports the AP. "This hot air mass is so extensive ... and this heat will only intensify," bureau meteorologist Diana Eadie said in a video statement on Wednesday. The weather bureau said temperatures in southern and central Australia on Thursday may reach between 8 and 16 degrees higher than normal.
On Wednesday temperatures soared to 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Birdsville, Queensland; 116 degrees Fahrenheit in Mandora, Western Australia; and similar levels in southern and central Australia. The highest temperature reliably recorded in any location in Australia was 123 degrees Fahrenheit in January 1960, at Oodnadatta, a desert settlement in outback South Australia. High temperatures and strong winds are also fanning bushfires around Australia, including more than 100 in New South Wales state where heat and smoke have caused an increase in hospital admissions.
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