TODAY’S record temperatures have provided a scorching reminder that summer is almost
upon us.
The mercury reached a top of 44.2 degrees at the Swan Hill aerodrome this afternoon, making it the hottest day so far this year.
Total fire bans were issued in
the Mallee and Wimmera districts, with farmers in particular being warned of the
extreme fire risk.
The maximum temperature made yesterday the hottest
recorded November day in Swan Hill, beating the previous record of 44 degrees —
recorded at the Swan Hill aerodrome on November 25, 1997 — by one tenth of a
degree.
Bureau of Meteorology’s Mildura station manager Mark Wilgar said the
hottest November day ever recorded in Victoria is 44.6 degrees, recorded at
Mildura in 1980.
For more on this story, see this week’s edition of The Guardian (30/11/12).
