January 11, 2022
A summer season heatwave knocked out energy in Argentina, whereas warmth in Western Australia possible tied the most well liked temperature ever measured south of the equator.
Summer time south of the equator is proving to be a scorcher. In mid-January 2022, sweltering warmth gripped central South America and temperatures soared to greater than 40°C (104°F). On the time, it was the most well liked place on the planet. That title quickly shifted to Western Australia, the place temperatures climbed to greater than 50°C (122°F) and a city north of Perth tied for the most well liked temperature ever measured within the Southern Hemisphere (preliminary knowledge).
The searing warmth is clear on these maps, derived from the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) mannequin. The maps depict air temperatures at 2 meters (about 6.5 ft) above the bottom. The darkest reds point out the place temperatures had been highest on January 11 in Argentina (above) and on January 13 in Australia (beneath).
In line with Argentina’s Nationwide Meteorological Service (SMN), floor stations in Buenos Aires recorded a temperature of 41.1°C (106°F) on January 11. That’s the town’s second-hottest day on document. Elsewhere in Argentina, temperatures in Córdoba and Punta Indio climbed above 41°C. The acute warmth prolonged west towards the Andes Mountains, in addition to north into Paraguay and Uruguay.
The warmth took a toll on Argentina’s energy grid, leaving greater than 700,000 clients with out energy. The excessive temperatures had been additionally anticipated to scorch crops, resembling soy and corn, which have already suffered from prolonged drought.
January 13, 2022
In the meantime on the opposite aspect of the planet, a heatwave was spreading throughout Western Australia. On January 13, floor stations in Onslow confirmed the temperature peaking at 50.7°C (123.3°F). If confirmed by Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, the temperature will equal the most well liked day on document for the southern hemisphere. The earlier document was measured in Oodnadatta, South Australia, in 1960. Close to Onslow, the cities of Mardie and Roebourne additionally noticed temperatures climb above 50°C.
In line with The Washington Put up, the occasions in Argentina and Western Australia each resulted from warmth domes that arrange over every space. The phenomenon happens when excessive strain within the mid- to upper-atmosphere acts as a cap, trapping heat air because it rises and pushing it again all the way down to heat the floor much more.
NASA Earth Observatory photos by Lauren Dauphin, utilizing GEOS-5 knowledge from the International Modeling and Assimilation Workplace at NASA GSFC.
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