It’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, yet the thermostat tells a different story. On August 26, a remote coastal area in Western Australia recorded its highest winter temperature ever: a scorching 41.6° Celsius (107° Fahrenheit). In Bidyadanga, an Aboriginal community, the overnight low on August 28 reached an astonishing 27.2° C (81° F), far above the long-term average of 15° C (59° F). Such elevated nighttime temperatures can disturb sleep, affecting cardiovascular and mental health.
Science News is gathering reader queries about navigating our changing climate. What insights do you seek regarding extreme heat and its role in triggering severe weather events? Australia has endured a month of unprecedented winter heat, threatening to surpass its average winter temperature record, set only last year. In 2023, Australia’s average winter temperature was 1.53 degrees C above the 1961-1990 average of 14.96° C, marking the highest since records began in 1910.
Globally, nighttime temperatures are rising faster than daytime ones, a trend known as “asymmetric warming.” This nighttime warming significantly contributes to the planet’s increasing average temperature. Australia is not alone in its heat; Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands, bordering Bolivia and Paraguay, are experiencing severe fires due to prolonged droughts and unusually warm temperatures, with over 700,000 hectares burned this year.
Warmer winters can adversely affect food security, water supplies, and insect populations. In the U.S., rising winter temperatures have led the USDA to update its plant hardiness zone map. Efforts are underway to develop heat-tolerant plants. Warmer winters also reduce snowpack, impacting river flow and groundwater recharge, and diminish cold weather’s role in controlling insect-borne diseases.
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