Tourists warned about extreme heat as temperatures soar in South Australia
AS the mercury rises across South Australia this week, SES volunteers are at Adelaide Airport giving international passengers advice on how to cope with the extreme heat.
AS the mercury rises across South Australia this week, SES volunteers are at Adelaide Airport giving international passengers advice on how to cope with extreme heat.
The SES has also issued an extreme heat warning, and is urging the public to take precautions such as drinking plenty of water and limiting outdoor activities to mornings and evenings.
Temperatures in the city are expected to hit 39C today and 40C on Thursday, before reaching 41C on Friday and 42C on Saturday – more than 13C above the average for December.
SES spokeswoman Adelaide Cooper told ABC 891 that passengers arrving from cooler overseas destinations might not be prepared for the hot conditions.
The travellers are being given sunscreen and information on how to stay cool.
Meanwhile, a concert planned to brighten the spirits of bushfire-affected communities in the mid-north has been cancelled because of the scorching temperatures..
Organisers of the Pinery Bushfire Relief Concert, that was scheduled for Saturday at Kapunda Harness Racing Complex, cancelled the event because it was the “responsible thing” to do given the conditions.
Artists such as Wes Carr and runner-up of this year’s X Factor and former Kapunda local Louise Adams had both been booked for the event.
Organiser and songwriter Mike Roberts said it was not only the right call for safety but the weather would make it hard for CFS volunteers to attend.
“We wanted them there so we could say thanks for what they’ve done,” he said.
“If they’re going to be on high alert close to their stations, we won’t have them there – so that kind of defeats the purpose.”
The event was expected to be rescheduled to a later date when the weather was more appropriate.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Matt Collopy said a very slow moving high sitting over the Tasman Sea to the east of the state was causing the high temperatures.
“The air that we’re getting coming down over Adelaide and the rest of SA is coming off the continent in a northerly airstream and is being helped by the high over the Tasman,” he said.
“Coastal areas will get some relief, but the rest of us won’t see a change until Saturday night.
“It will be substantially cooler once the cold front comes through off the southern ocean and brings up the cold air from the south.”
The heat also brings an increased risk of lightning strikes, which sparked small fires south of Adelaide and in the Hills on Tuesday.
Mr Collopy said the mixture of heat and moisture were the “basic ingredients” for a thunderstorm.
“Heat and moisture together provides the atmosphere the ability to produce a tall and active thunderstorm cloud,” he said.
“While heat is an ingredient in a thunderstorm process, it’s not completely necessary because there is still lightning and thunderstorms in winter.
“But the heat can aid and also act as a trigger from that hot thermal air.”
A fire ban has been declared for the Mount Lofty Ranges district on Wednesday.