Southern Australia hit by heatwave

Southern Australia suffered a record-breaking heatwave that has threatened rural towns with wildfires and sent ambulance crews after heat-stressed patients.

Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city recorded its third consecutive day of temperatures above 43C (109F) for the first time since 1855, when record-keeping began, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

The temperature in Melbourne topped 45.1C (113F) today ahead of a cooler change that might even bring some thunder showers, the bureau said.

Adelaide, the other major city on the south coast, is expected to match its longest heat wave in a century by Monday, with six consecutive days exceeding 40C (104F).

Thousands of homes in both cities have experienced blackouts since Thursday due to power drains by air conditioners, authorities said. Adelaide commuters have been warned to expect delays because the heat had buckled train and tram lines.

The heat has afflicted tennis players and spectators alike this week at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where men’s No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic retired ill from a game on Tuesday after heat-related complaints.

The retractable roofs on Rod Laver Arena have been closed at least parts of the last three days.

There was controversy Wednesday when they closed the roof during the match between Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian had won the first set and complained bitterly that she wanted it to stay open with Williams clearly fading. The break gave Williams time to recover and she rallied to win.

Players who did compete outdoors had ice packs wrapped with towels draped around their necks during changeovers.

A bunch of moths that have annoyed the players were sizzling and dying within seconds of landing on the broiling court surface. Players complained that it felt like their feet were burning right through their shoes.

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria state, where three rural towns were under threat from wildfires spreading quickly in the furnace-like conditions, Country Fire Authority deputy chief fire officer Geoff Conway said.

State ambulance service chief Greg Sassella said more crews to help people affected by the heat were available on Friday, a day after 1,305 emergency cases were logged – more than double the normal load.

Temperatures in Adelaide this week were the hottest in memory. On Wednesday, the high reached 45.7C (114.3F), a temperature not seen in 70 years. That was followed by an overnight low of 33.9C (93F) – the warmest on record.