After just experiencing the warmest December on record, much of Australia is still enduring a sweltering January, with many new high-temperature records being set. The brutal heat waves have resulted in health warnings being issued, telling residents to stay indoors and to take special notice of animals in their care. Overtaxed power grids have failed several times, leaving thousands without power; wildfires are burning in Tasmania; and wild animals are suffering as watering holes dry up. Last week, the town of Port Augusta set a new record high of 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.5 degrees Celsius). Forecasts have the heat lasting at least through the end of January, possibly leading to yet another hottest-month record.
A January Heat Wave in Australia
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The Sydney Opera House, photographed during sunrise as early-morning temperatures hit 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) on January 5, 2019, in Sydney, Australia #
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Seagulls sit in the shade under a palm tree in Melbourne on January 25, 2019. Extreme heat was forecast for Victoria later that day, with temperatures expected to reach 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius). #
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The seagull-patrol dog Roxy, photographed at work with her handler, Juliana, at the Sydney Opera House on January 28, 2019. The Sydney Opera House has been having dogs patrol its harborside dining venues to deter seagulls from swooping in to steal diners' food. #
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The seagull-patrol dog Roxy wears custom boots to protect her paws from hot pavement and stones at the Sydney Opera House on January 28, 2019. Early results from the new dog-patrol trial have been overwhelmingly positive, with restaurant staff recording an 80 percent reduction in meal replacements due to seagulls. #
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Merino sheep gather in a cloud of dust as they wait to be fed by the Lelievre family at Yathonga Station on January 17, 2019, in Louth, Australia. Local communities in the Darling River area are facing droughts and clean-water shortages as debate grows over the alleged mismanagement of the Murray-Darling Basin. Recent mass kills of hundreds of thousands of fish in the Darling River have raised serious questions about the way WaterNSW is managing the lake system. #
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The Lelievre family dog plays on a small patch of grass being irrigated by water from the Darling River on January 16, 2019, in Louth. The Lelievre family likens the patch of lawn to a safe house. Being able to come home and relax in a nice space after working in extreme heat and dust all day is crucial for the family's well-being. #
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Fires can be seen from the Central Highlands Lodge on January 22, 2019, in Miena, Australia. Around 40 residents from the small town of Miena in Tasmania's Central Plateau have been evacuated, as bushfires continue to burn in the area. #
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Spectators protect themselves from the heat with umbrellas as they watch tennis on a large video screen in Garden Square at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne on January 25, 2019. #
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French tourists play in the water at St. Kilda Beach in Melbourne on January 25, 2019, a day when temperatures were forecast to reach 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius). #
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