North Queensland heatwave: BOM warns of hot, humid weather

Horribly hot, insufferably sticky and potentially deadly: That’s the weather forecast for North Queensland as residents endure a severe heatwave.

Ergon Energy workers restore power in Flower Street, Railway Estate, Townsville over the weekend. About 4,500 North Queenslanders remained without power on Monday morning as a heatwave continues to bake the region. Picture: Evan Morgan

Horribly hot, insufferably sticky and potentially deadly: That’s the weather forecast for North Queensland as the region continues to endure a severe heatwave and humid conditions in the aftermath of ex-tropical cyclone Kirrily.

The extreme-weather comes as Griffith University releases a new study that shows that heatwaves “are known as silent killers and have been the cause of death for more people in Australia than any other natural disaster”.

Bureau of Meteorology community information officer Brooke Pagel said the hot, humid conditions that began baking North Queensland on Friday would persist until the middle of the week.

“This heat is made much more dangerous by these power outages we’ve seen with Tropical Cyclone Kirrily but also because of the really high dew points (moisture in the air) across eastern Queensland,” she said.

“So the humidity combined with the heat is really making it pack a punch.”

About 4,500 North Queenslanders remained without power as of Monday morning, Ergon Energy confirmed.

The heatwave forecast for North Queensland for three days beginning Monday, January 29: Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Ms Pagel said that temperatures in the low to mid-30s were forecast for Townsville in the coming days, but a few degrees higher in Hinchinbrook, with forecast highs of 36 expected on Monday to Wednesday.

She said that combined with the high humidity, the temperatures would feel like it was in the low 40s.

“It’s really the eastern parts of northern Queensland that are really feeling it at the moment, for example St Lawrence had basically its warmest January night on record, 27.7 degrees, which is the highest minimum temperature on record for that site.”

Ms Pagel said a ridge system moving up from the south would bring some relief toward the end of the week.

“It still will be warm but it’s basically just going to help that humidity (and temperatures) to drop back down to average.”

She said that there was “a very low probability” of a tropical low in the Coral Sea developing into a tropical cyclone.

“When we say very low, there’s less than a 5 per cent chance.”

Senior research assistant Mehak Oberai from Griffith’s School of Medicine and Dentistry said heatwaves led to increased deaths and medical emergencies.

“We found a statistically significant increase in the likelihood of ambulance call-outs for all causes by 10 per cent.”

The new study also found an increase in the likelihood of call-outs by five per cent for cardiovascular causes, and the rate and risk of ambulance call-outs increase with the increasing intensity of heatwaves.

Dr Aaron Bach said this data will undoubtedly have an impact on Australia’s public health system, especially the number of heatwave days set to increase.

“As these searingly hot days continue across the country, we’ll see a further rise in the likelihood of ambulance call-outs which will shine a spotlight on the real burden that heatwaves place on our already stressed health system.”

BOM Safety Advice

• Extreme heatwaves can be dangerous for everyone

• Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell

• Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre or shopping centre.

• Close your windows and draw blinds, curtains or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home

• If available, use fans or air-conditioners to keep cool

Department of Health Safety Advice

• Extreme heat or heatwaves are periods of unusually hot weather

• In Australia, extreme heat events are responsible for more deaths than other natural disasters

Everybody is at risk of heat-related health problems, and it’s important to know the risks of heat, who is at risk, how to prepare, and how to protect yourself and others

Originally published as North Queensland heatwave: BOM warns of hot, humid weather