Extreme heat follows blazes in New South Wales, while winds plunge Brazil’s largest city into darkness
Extreme heat and bushfires have ravaged the parched landscape of Western Australia. With temperatures expected to continue soaring above 40C (104F) over the coming days, the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe heatwave warning across much of the south-west.
The conditions follow bushfires in New South Wales this month, which resulted in the destruction of homes and loss of life. Severe heatwave warnings have also been issued for later this week in parts of South Australia and New South Wales, as a ridge of high pressure moves eastward, bringing blazing sunshine to much of the region.
In Brazil, São Paulo was plunged into darkness last week after strong winds damaged the city’s power grid, with falling trees bringing down power lines. The weather conditions also caused travel disruption at Congonhas airport, where hundreds of flights were cancelled. Severe damage to electrical infrastructure is expected to cause further problems as utility companies scramble to restore power to more than 1 million residents.
Meanwhile, California’s Central Valley – known for its clear skies and abundant sunshine – has experienced one its dullest and foggiest weeks on record. Tule fog, which typically lingers for only a few days, has been unusually widespread and persistent this year, keeping temperatures at Sacramento international airport below 8C for more than a week – the longest such streak in more than three decades. The prolonged fog has been fuelled by exceptional autumn rainfall that left soils saturated.
