Australia’s hottest town recorded a whopping 49C as the nation battles a blistering heatwave.
Marble Bar, north-western Western Australia, has built its reputation as one of Australia’s hottest towns – which was literally the case on Thursday.
The minuscule town with the population of 174 residents recorded 48.4C at just 11am.
The Bureau of Meteorology said temperatures peaked at 49.1C in Marble Bar, while large parts of the country continue to swelter through heatwaves.
‘Heatwave conditions occur when both maximum and minimum temperatures remain well above average for the time of year,’ the Bureau said.
Western Australia was not the only state to stretch over the 40C mark, with a number of other locations bracing the unrelenting temperatures.
The mercury hit 46.8C in Port Augusta and Whyalla, South Australia’s mid north region.
Alice Springs rose to 44C and Adelaide recorded 43.7C.
Tennant Creek, in the Northern Territory, is about to head into the 28th day where temperatures have risen above 40C.
Forecaster Bradley Wood from the Bureau said the town ‘completely smashes their previous record’.