Australia’s Summer Broke More Than 205 Weather Records, Report Finds

Australia’s summer broke more than 205 weather records around the county, a report by a climate group has found.

According to the report from the Climate Council, entitled “Angry Summer,” the Australian summer of 2016 and 2017 saw intense heatwaves, hot days and brushfires in the central and eastern parts of the country, while the west suffered heavy rainfall and flooding.

Among the records broken, cities like Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra each had their hottest summers on record, while Adelaide had its hottest Christmas day in 70 years, the report found.

The Climate Council — formed after the Climate Commission was abolished in Australia in 2013 — said climate change is pushing hotter, longer lasting and more frequent heatwaves in Australia and that the growing extreme weather is putting pressure on the country’s energy system.

“Days of extreme heat and heatwaves will become even more frequent and severe in Australia, and will increase the risks to critical infrastructure (e.g. electricity), the economy, health and ecosystems,” the report authors wrote.