The Sydney Australia Basin has been suffering from some of the most dangerous heat and humidity on earth with a high of 117F in Penrith. So hot that roads are melting. In addition to suffocating heat, extremely dangerous bushfires were burning out of control in South Australia’s southeast on Saturday afternoon, and residents were warned that their lives and properties were at risk. The Climate Forecasting System (CFS) issued the apocalyptic warning to residents in the impacted area. “If you are in this area you are in danger. There is a risk to your life and property...take shelter inside a solid building. Do not leave or enter this area in a vehicle or on foot. It is too late to leave and the roads will not be safe.”
Sydney's weather is expected to remain hot with another heat burst building around the end of this week.
Social media was awash with depictions of the heat, GIFs showed burning skeletons and there were a variety of attempts at egg-frying outside. CNNFor Australians, this is a glimpse into their near-future. They haven’t seen anything yet, Australians will be hammered by climate change.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) warns the public on what is looming for the Australian continent.
Research has shown that most of the changes observed over recent decades will continue into the future. Projections suggest that for Australia:
hot days will become more frequent and hotter (very high confidence) sea levels will rise (very high confidence) oceans will become more acidic (very high confidence) snow depths will decline (very high confidence) extreme rainfall events are likely to become more intense (high confidence)Seasonal-average rainfall changes will vary across Australia.
In southern mainland Australia, winter and spring rainfall is projected to decrease (high confidence), but increases are projected for Tasmania in winter (medium confidence). In eastern Australia, there is high confidence that in the near future (2030) natural variability will predominate over trends due to greenhouse gas emissions. For late in the century (2090), there is medium confidence in a winter rainfall decrease. In northern Australia and northern inland areas, there is high confidence that in the near future (2030), natural variability will predominate over trends due to greenhouse gas emissions. There is low confidence in the direction of future rainfall change by late in the century (2090), but substantial changes to wet-season and annual rainfall cannot be ruled out.The time in drought is projected to increase over southern Australia (high confidence).
There is high confidence in increasing potential evapotranspiration (atmospheric moisture demand).
There is high confidence in decreasing soil moisture in the southern regions (particularly in winter and spring) driven by the projected decrease in rainfall and higher evaporative demand. There is medium confidence in decreasing soil moisture elsewhere in Australia where evaporative demand is projected to increase but the direction of rainfall change in uncertain.
Southern and eastern Australia are projected to experience harsher fire weather (high confidence).
Tropical cyclones may occur less often, but become more intense (medium confidence).
Projected changes will be superimposed on significant natural climate variability.
I included this video as it has a relatively easy explanation of what a “wet bulb temperature” is, and how devastating for many parts of the world (The Middle East is most at risk today to these life threatening temperatures) it will be. We will be hearing this term a lot as the earth continues to warm. We have seen nothing when it comes to the refugee crisis in the middle east. The land will become uninhabitable.
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