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Extreme heat and raging bushfires have devastated the parched landscape of Western Australia. As temperatures expected to persist climbing above 40C (104F) over the next few days, a major alert for extreme heat has been declared across much of the south-west.

Broad Heatwave Warnings Throughout the Region

This situation follow this month's bushfires in another state, which caused the destruction of homes and fatalities. Intense heat alerts have additionally been issued for later this week in parts of South Australia and NSW, as a system of high pressure moves to the east, delivering intense sunshine to much of the region.

The mix of extremely dry land and relentless heat creates a volatile situation for emergency crews.

Worldwide Weather Extremes Cause Disruption

In another part of the world, a major city was left in blackout recently after powerful gusts compromised the urban power grid, with toppled trees bringing down power lines. The stormy weather also led to significant travel disruption at a major airport, where numerous flights were cancelled. Substantial damage to power systems is expected to cause further issues as service providers work urgently to restore power to more than 1 million inhabitants.

Atypical Fog Covers Typically Clear Region

At the same time, a region known for its sunny weather and plentiful sunlight has experienced one of its dullest and most overcast weeks on record. A specific type of low cloud, which typically lasts for only a short time, has been unusually widespread and long-lasting this year, holding the mercury at a major airport below 8C for more than a week – the most prolonged period in more than three decades. The prolonged haze has been fuelled by exceptional autumn precipitation that left the ground saturated.

• Primary Driver: Exceptional autumn rainfall soaked the ground.
• Result: Extended and thick fog formation.
• Effect: Temperatures stayed below average for an lengthy time.

Storm Delivers Snow to Tourist Islands

Turning to another country, a weather system has ushered in intense rain, strong winds and even snow to a set of islands – weather many would not connect with this favored tourist spot. While snow is not unheard of at higher ground, the system delivered some of the deepest snow depths since 2016 to a protected area, forcing its closure.

In addition to the snowfall, strong winds from the north buffeted the archipelago, with gusts exceeding 50mph recorded on multiple locations. The effect of the weather event is forecast to diminish this week with more typical weather taking hold.