It's Winter in Australia. The Temps Are Staggering

It's sweltering in the US, with NBC News reporting that 51 million people in a span stretching from eastern Missouri to Long Island found themselves under heat advisories and heat warnings on Wednesday. It's also sweltering in parts of Australia—where it's winter. The Guardian reports the country on Tuesday saw its hottest winter temperature ever recorded, with Yampi Sound in the Kimberley region of Western Australia hitting 41.6 degrees Celsius, or 106.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous record was the 41.2 C (106.2 degrees Fahrenheit) hit on August 23, 2020, in West Roebuck. This August is expected to be Australia's hottest on record.

And while it was a more comfortable 24 C (75.2 F) in Sydney, that's still well outside the norm. Meteorologist Angus Hines tells the Guardian, "At the moment, the warmest day of the week is looking like it will be Friday, with a forecast maximum of 29 C [84.2 F]. Now at this time of year, normally in August, the average maximum temperature is about 18 C [64.4 F]." The Washington Post notes historic highs elsewhere, with South Australia hitting a record winter high of 38.5 C (101.3 F) and its highest overnight winter low of 23.8 C (74.8 F) over the weekend. (More heat stories.)