Quote:

---

Soaring temperatures and strong winds have combined to create a "catastrophic" fire threat across the southeast Australian state of New South Wales.

Residents have been warned to remain vigilant as temperatures rise towards a predicted high of 43 degrees (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in the state capital of Sydney.

In some areas of the state, winds of more than 70 kilometers an hour (43 mph) were threatening to fan the flames of fires already burning. However, a change in wind direction had caused temperatures in certain parts of the state to fall, offering some relief.

A "catastrophic" fire risk has been declared in four areas of NSW, although the risk across 90% of the state is "severe" or above. A "catastrophic" warning carries the risk of significant loss of life and the destruction of many homes, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS).

"I cannot say it more plainly: the risk is real and potentially deadly. People need to act now," the service's Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.More at http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/07/world/asia/australia-heat-fires/index.ht
ml?hpt=hp_t2

---

Quote:

---

It’s Now So Hot in Australia that Gasoline Evaporates Before You Can Pump It

Australia is off the charts right now, and not in a good way. The country is literally on fire, as average temperatures have remained well above 100° F for six straight days and wildfires have engulfed more than 120 homes.

In fact, “red hot” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Temperatures are so high that Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has added new colors to its weather forecasting chart to represent the record-breaking heat. The fiery new hues, a smoldering purple and a searing violet, indicate a peak temperature of 54° C — or 129.2 degrees Fahrenheit.


Australia's Bureau of Meteorology added new colors to its weather forecasting chart to represent record-breaking heat Tuesday

The country’s all-time record of 123.26 degrees Fahrenheit was set in 1960 at the Oodnadatta Airport in Southern Australia, but it’s already so hot that people can’t even pump gas. Nikki Staskiewicz and Angela Blomeley were stranded in Oodnadatta — which bills itself as “the driest town [in] the driest state of the driest country” in the world — when they tried to fill up their tank, only to find the fuel vaporizing in the triple-digit heat.Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/09/australia-too-hot-to-pump-gas-need
s- new-colors/#ixzz2HalE0YlP

---