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Australia: WA records hottest temperature…on earth!

> From the WeatherWatch archives

The hottest temperature on earth yesterday occurred at Onslow Airport, Western Australia at a steamy 47 degrees.

Australia has an extreme climate, and many world weather records are set in the Land Down Under.

The highest temperature in the southern hemisphere ever recorded was in the South Australian town of Oodnadatta in 1960, at a whopping 50.7 degrees.

Australia may get heat awards, but it won’t win any southern hemisphere records for cold, especially since we are neighbours with Antarctica. Nevertheless, the lowest temperature recorded in Australia was at Charlotte’s pass in 1994 was still a teeth-chattering -23 degrees.

The honour of the highest wind gust ever recorded on earth was at Barrow Island off the northern WA coast when Severe Tropical Cyclone Olivia barred down on the region in April 1996. Wind gusts of 369km/h, 374km/h and 408 km/h were recorded, the latter being the world record. These speeds are comparable to that of F1 cars.

Tropical cyclones can also be attributed to breaking other records in Australia. When the deadliest cyclone ever to hit Australia, Tropical Cyclone Mahina, neared Bathurst Bay in 1899, a surge of 13 metres was recorded. The water level rose so much that dolphins were reported on top of 15 metre cliffs!

– Weatherzone.com.au

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