Australia swelters through record-breaking heatwave

Australia is sizzling through extreme heatwave conditions this week, with temperatures reaching record highs and emergency services on high alert for bush fires.

Numerous towns across southern Australia have recorded new December highs, with the mercury up to 16 degrees Celsius higher than usual for this time of the year, the Bureau of Meteorology said on Friday.

“Heatwave conditions are being experienced across large parts of the country,” it said, adding that the sizzling temperatures spanned the southern parts of four states and the Northern Territory.

Marble Bar in Western Australia, which bills itself as the nation’s hottest town, recorded a peak of 49.3 degrees Celsius on Thursday, it added.

Major cities across the country are also affected, with the thermometer pushing towards 40 degrees and the heat set to linger into the new year.