In a remarkable event in the realm of climate change, Hobart has received the honor of having the hottest May day in 144 years. With that, the world is noticing one of the many climate change issues that is becoming a bigger problem for the world, since Hobart is one of the most affected. More and more negative concerns about climate change have arisen in Tasmania and, recently, Australia.
For the first time in 144 years, a record has been broken in Hobart. This is Hobart’s temperature record that was finally passed in the late 1800’s, now recently passed in the late 2010’s. For Hobart, a well known cool city, known to be temperate even in late Autumn, to have the hottest day is actually bad and frightening for those who live in Hobart.
Hobart experiences dry winds and the sun’s radiation is more than extreme and while this day is in fact a May day, Hobart experiences weather more closely associated with peak Summer. The locals even said the weather was hot for this time of year and it surprised many of them.
What is the reason for this extreme rapid temperature surge?
A strong system has been set up in the south of Australia, a high-pressure system that traps warm, hot temperatures. Because of Northern winds, those temperatures have made their way to Hobart, coming from the rest of Australia. And with all those Northern winds and this high-pressure system, Hobart is under clear and clear skies, allowing the sun to shine direct and hard, thus causing an extreme temperature increase that has broken Hobart’s temperature records.
With this temperature increase also comes more concerns about climate change and Hobart’s record is also a cycle that has more warming to it. The last century has been constantly breaking more and more records of warming and a more modern example of that can be extreme events of more and more temperature records also breaking. With all this temperature increasing, it can finally be said that Hobart is a newly record-breaking place for extreme temperature events and warming.
Rising ocean temperatures and shifting wind patterns drastically impacts Tasmanian weather, and since warming events like these have become increasingly common, they are likely to push historical temperatures upward.
Effects on People and Environment
Unfortunately, Hobart’s heatwave caused several predicable consequences such as:
More people needing air conditioning and more electricity being consumed
People, especially the old, become more sick
Rising stress on usually stable ecosystems as they adjust to high temperatures
Authorities did little, but issues surrounding heat-wave Safety Alerts occurred, and Emergency services warned the public to stay indoors and stay cool. Fortunately, no emergencies occurred, but vulnerable populations were checked on repeatedly imploring to stay personal.
Tasmania Needs To Prepare
Hobart beat a record for historical temperatures and the first for many to come, but cool regions like Tasmania being vulnerable to climate extremes is a misconception. Hobart is setting climate history, and these records will grow if we begin focusing more on resilience than on adapting. Time to act, protects our environment as we adapt.
Conclusion
The record setting temperatures of Hobart after a143 year wait reminds us of novel breaking trends in climate history. Citizens this is a wake up call! and record beating events like this implore us to be vigilant and climate literate. Our future is depending on a high temperature record and one of extremes.
