Australia's worst heatwave since black summer made five times more likely by global heating, analysis finds

"Human-caused global heating made the intense heatwave that affected much of Australia in early January five times more likely, new analysis suggests. The heatwave earlier this month was the most severe since the 2019-20 black summer, with temperatures over 40C in Melbourne and Sydney, even hotter conditions in regional Victoria and New South Wales, and extreme heat also affecting Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania."

"A report by World Weather Attribution (WWA) suggests that the effect of greenhouse gas emissions outweighed the effects of a weak La Nina, which usually means milder temperatures across most of mainland Australia. The report's authors suggest that the climate crisis made the extreme heat about 1.6C hotter, while the La Nina likely lowered maximum temperatures by between 0.3 and 0.5C."

Human-caused global heating increased the likelihood of the intense early-January Australian heatwave by about five times and contributed roughly 1.6°C to peak temperatures. Temperatures exceeded 40°C in Melbourne and Sydney, with hotter conditions in regional Victoria and New South Wales, while extreme heat also affected Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. In Victoria the heat preceded bushfires that burned about 400,000 hectares and destroyed nearly 900 buildings. A weak La Niña likely reduced maximum temperatures by around 0.3–0.5°C, but greenhouse-gas-driven warming dominated. Heatwaves defined as three consecutive days of above-average maxima cause more deaths in Australia than other natural hazards combined.

Read at www.theguardian.com