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2009 southeastern Australia heat wave
 Approximate affected area shown in red | |
| Areas | South Australia, Victoria, Southern New South Wales, Northern Tasmania, ACT |
|---|---|
| Start date | 25 January 2009 |
| End date | 9 February 2009 |
| Peak temp. | 48.8 °C (119.8 °F), recorded at Hopetoun, Victoria |
| Losses | |
| Deaths | 374[1] |
| Injuries | 2,000+ |
The 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave was a heat wave that commenced in late January and led to record-breaking prolonged high temperatures in the region. The heat wave is considered one of the, if not the, most extreme in the region's history.[2] During the heat wave, fifty separate locations set various records for consecutive, highest daytime and overnight temperatures. The highest temperature recorded during the heat wave was 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) in Hopetoun, Victoria, a record for the state.[3] Many locations through the region recorded all-time high temperatures including capital cities Adelaide, which reached its third-highest temperature, 45.7 °C (114.3 °F), and Melbourne, which recorded its highest-ever temperature on record, 46.4 °C (115.5 °F). Both cities broke records for the most consecutive days over 40 °C (104 °F), while Mildura, Victoria recorded an all-time record twelve consecutive days over 43 °C (109 °F).
The exceptional heat wave was caused by a slow-moving high-pressure system that settled over the Tasman Sea, with a combination of an intense tropical low located off the North West Australian coast and a monsoon trough over Northern Australia, which produced ideal conditions for hot tropical air to be directed down over southeastern Australia.[3] The heat began in South Australia on 25 January but became more widespread over southeast Australia by 27 January. A weak cool change moved over the southern coastal areas bringing some relief on 30 January,[3] including Melbourne, where the change arrived that evening, dropping temperatures to an average of 30.8 °C (87.4 °F). Higher temperatures returned on the following weekend with Melbourne recording its hottest day since records began in 1855, 46.4 °C (115.5 °F).[4]
The heat wave generated extreme fire conditions during the peak of the 2008–09 Australian bushfire season, causing many bushfires in the affected region, contributing to the extreme bushfire conditions on 7 February, also known as the Black Saturday bushfires, which claimed 173 lives in Victoria.[5]
- ^ Cooper, Mex (6 April 2009). "Death toll soared during Victoria's heatwaves". Melbourne: The Age. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
- ^ "Heatwave record set in Melbourne". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC News. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ a b c "The exceptional January–February 2009 heatwave in south-eastern Australia" (PDF), Bureau of Meteorology, National Climate Centre, p. 2, 12 February 2009
- ^ Townsend, Hamish (7 February 2009). "City swelters, records tumble in heat". The Age, Melbourne. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "Bushfire update". Victorian Government. Victoria Police. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
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