Australia Records Its Second Hottest Year on Record
Australia has experienced its second hottest year ever, with temperatures soaring and rainfall patterns shifting dramatically across the nation.
Australia, 2024, Heatwave, Climate Change, Perth
Perth: Wow, can you believe it? Australia just had its second hottest year ever recorded! Since 1910, we’ve never seen temperatures like this, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to cool off anytime soon.
The Bureau of Meteorology shared some wild stats this week. In 2024, the national average temperature was 1.46°C above what it used to be back in the 1961-1990 average. That’s pretty significant, right? The only year that was hotter was 2019, which was also a scorcher and super dry.
Interestingly, last year’s nighttime temperatures were a big part of the problem. Even though we didn’t quite break the record, those minimums were the highest we’ve seen in over a century. It was just 0.05°C shy of the record set in 2019, a year we all remember for those devastating bushfires.
And get this, it’s been 24 years in a row now that we haven’t had a mean temperature cooler than the baseline. That’s a long stretch! Most of the year was hot, except for a cooler April. But winter? It was warm, with August being 3.03°C above average.
Weatherzone’s meteorologist, Ben Domensino, mentioned that 2024 was a bit of a mixed bag. We had high temperatures, but also a lot of rain. In fact, it was the eighth wettest year since the early 1900s. That’s not what you’d expect when it’s so hot!
He pointed out that usually, the hottest years come with droughts, but this time, most of the country was pretty wet. It seems like climate change is shaking things up in ways we didn’t see coming.
Even with all the clouds and rain, temperatures were still way above what we’ve seen in recent decades. One reason for all that rain? Warmer seas around Australia, which means more evaporation and more rain. Crazy, right?
As we kick off 2025, it looks like we’re in for another hot one. The first week is already bringing heatwaves, and January is usually the hottest month. Perth has already hit 38°C on New Year’s Day, the hottest start since 1997!
New South Wales is also bracing for a heatwave, with temps expected to hit the mid-thirties. The BOM is warning that severe heatwave conditions could spread across various regions this weekend. Stay cool out there!