Here in Australia we have had a long, hot summer. There is no other way of describing it.

I found found some statistics from the Bureau of Meteorolgy. There is no information for April but we all know that the warmer than average trend continued.

December

Second-warmest December mean minimum temperatures on record

Warmest December mean temperatures on record for Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia

Two heatwaves break December records in southeast Australia

Severe bushfire in southern Victoria

December was another very warm month for Australia, the sixth-warmest on record for nationally-averaged mean temperatures. The national mean minimum temperature was the second-warmest on record with an anomaly of +1.24°C, while maximum temperature was the warmest on record for parts of southeast Australia including Victoria (+3.80°C).

January

National mean temperature above average

Maximum and minimum temperatures both above average

January mean temperatures were warmer than average for Australia as a whole (an anomaly of +0.52°C), with all States and the Northern Territory recording warmer than average mean temperatures.

Tasmania recorded its second-warmest January on record.

The Australian mean daily maximum temperature was 0.21

°C above average and the Australian mean daily minimum temperatures was 0.83°C above average

February

Australia’s ninth-warmest February on record

Heat wave in northwestern Queensland results in some daily maximum records broken.

February was a warm month for Australia and the ninth-warmest February on record. The national mean temperature was 0.92°C above the historical average, with the monthly mean maximum temperature 1.43°C above average and the monthly mean minimum temperature 0.41°C above average.

Mean temperatures and mean maxima were above average in all States.

Queensland recorded its fifth-warmest February on record for mean temperatures and equal sixth-warmest for both maximum and minimum temperatures. Tasmania was sixth-warmest for minimum temperatures.

A heat wave in north-western Queensland in the last week of February resulted in a number of records for daily maximum temperatures being broken in this region

March

Mean March temperature for Australia warmest on record.

National mean March minimum temperature warmest on record.

National mean maximum temperature seventh-warmest March on record.

A new record for the warmest March day on record for Australia on the 2nd.

This month was the warmest March on record with a mean temperature anomaly 1.70°C

above the average, exceeding the previous record set in 1986 (+1.67°C). The national mean March minimum temperature anomaly was also the warmest on record at +1.97°C.

The hottest March day recorded in Australia was recorded on the 2nd. On this day, more than one-third of Australia recorded maximum temperatures in the warmest percentile.

During the month warmer than average maximum and minimum temperatures affected much of the country. New South Wales and Victoria experienced record high mean March temperature anomalies (+2.49 °C and +2.42 °C respectively).

Nationally, the mean March maximum temperature was the seventh-warmest on record (+1.42 °C).

How did you cope with the heat? Did you enjoy the ‘endless summer’. Are you looking forward to ever increasing temperatures over the coming years?

Think it won’t happen? Check out this graphic.

Climate change is real and it is here right now. It is time to stop and consider what the future is going to look like. What is life going to be like for our children and grandchildren? We are well on our way to leaving them a legacy of an uninhabitable planet.

Check out this page for more information.

What do you think? How do you feel?

I am interested in your opinion whether you are here in Australia or overseas.

Exactly a year ago we were in the midst of managing with no power as a result of the wild weather which was the aftermath of Cyclone (Hurricane) Oswald.

When we finally regained power I wrote this post. More importantly, I wrote a follow-up assessment here.

It feels like groundhog day as it appears very likely that a cyclone will form off the north Queensland coast in the next 36 – 48 hours. There is no guarantee where a potential system will track but the Bureau of Meteorology predictions are currently showing it crossing the coast and causing widespread rain over much of the eastern and central parts of the state.

Colour Forecast map for next 4 days

My second link is interesting to re-read as it shows that once the immediate threat was over we relaxed and did not pursue some of the things we identified. We have not bought a generator, nor organised the rainwater tank closer to the house. The small freezer is not currently in use but is downstairs and could be used if necessary, however, the better option would be the camp fridge (also stored downstairs) set to ‘Freeze’.

We have had a long weekend here and I have unwittingly done some useful preparation. All of the washing and almost all of the ironing is done. Meals are planned and some are prepared for the coming week. There is clean linen on the bed and in the bathroom. I plan to finish the ironing and vacuum the floors tomorrow evening. All of this means that I have most of the housework up to date and we do not need to worry about basics such as washing if we were to lose power for several days. We also have enough food and basic supplies to ensure that we do not need to go to the shops. All of the electronic equiment is fully charged and we have wind-up torches and radio. The car has a full tank of fuel. There is no need to panic but we are prepared simply because of how we live.

What preparations would you make in the event of the chance of severe weather?