Heatwave Persists in Australia as Inland Temps Nudge 50C

One of Australia’s hottest summers on record continues to produce temperatures well above average across the nation, including a scorching 49.4C in the Queensland tourist town of Birdsville. Heatwave conditions swept across large parts of central and eastern Australia on Thursday with both maximum and minimum temperatures sitting about 6C to 12C above average. Bureau of Meteorology warnings, some severe, have been in place for all five states, while locally extreme heatwaves impacted parts of far southwest Queensland. Widespread temperatures above 40C swept across inland and eastern parts of Australia, with some inland areas nudging 50C. “We haven’t seen these temperatures in several years,” senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse told AAP....