- 28 Jan 09, 12:13#89131
Adelaide is going through a god damn heat wave as we speak. This time last year we had 15 days straight with the mercury rising over 36, now it looks like a week long heatwave of 40 plus! 
yesterday was 43 and today was 45 and as you can see in this pic some thermometers said 50 degrees C
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24973504-5006301,00.html?referrer=email
yesterday was 43 and today was 45 and as you can see in this pic some thermometers said 50 degrees C
SOUTH Australia will suffer six consecutive days of 40C-plus temperatures in the hottest such stretch in a century - and today the mercury has topped 45C.
Not since 1908 has Adelaide recorded such a long run of temperatures over the 40C mark.
The stretch includes yesterday's top of 43.2C and today's excruciating temperature of 45.7C at 3:31pm.
So far, today is the third-hottest day ever recorded in Adelaide. The other two were in January, 1939 - when the mercury reached the all-time of 46.1C.
According to SA Health, at least 60 people have already ended up in South Australian emergency departments today with heat-related conditions.
While last year's January heatwave had 15 consecutive days over 35C, only three of those days were 40C or above.
This year, the worst six days come in the middle of an official heatwave (temperatures of 35C or above) of at least nine days. Forecasters are so far unable to predict when the heat will ease.
The forecast for tomorrow is 41C but the mercury will not drop below 30C for the next two nights.
The forecast for the rest of the week is:
Thursday Dry. Sunny. Min 32 Max 41
Friday Dry. Mostly sunny. Min 30 Max 41
Saturday Dry. Mostly sunny. Min 25 Max 40
Sunday Dry. Mostly sunny. Min 23 Max 40
Monday Dry. Mostly sunny. Min 22 Max 39
Tuesday Dry. Mostly sunny. Min 22 Max 38
Meanwhile, emergency services are hunting a firebug who has lit four blazes in three nights.
The arsonist is operating in the Watervale area near Clare and started two fires that burnt out a total of 10ha.
The first fire was lit near Main North Road at Watervale about 1.20am.
About 30 minutes later, another fire was lit along the Watervale to Mintaro road.
No major damage was reported.
Country Fire Service spokesperson Chris Metevelis said resources were at full alert across the state today.
"There is a particularly high fire risk today. People need to activate their bushfire action plans, be alert, and listen to the radio if there is a fire," he said.
"We encourage people to look out for each other, especially the elderly, who may need help during this time."
Yesterday's peak of 43.2C was the hottest January day for six years and just shy of the 1939 record of 46.1C. It was still 38.6C at 8pm and 34.4C at 10.30pm.
The heat caused problems across the state including a spate of power blackouts late yesterday, affecting about 10,000 customers.
ETSA Utilities reported about 15 power outages, including a blackout of almost 2000 homes in Alberton, Port Adelaide and West Lakes Shore caused by a blown transformer, and a fire at Adelaide Brighton Cement's Birkenhead kiln.
A further 7500 homes were without power throughout Paracombe, Inglewood and Chain of Ponds for more than an hour.
While yesterday was a scorching first day of term for thousands of students, most remained at school for the whole day and followed modified programs.
About 4pm, a Belair line train was cancelled after suffering heat-related mechanical problems – including a lack of airconditioning and only one engine operating.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24973504-5006301,00.html?referrer=email
i was out of Electricity this morning, the grids being swamped with air con power 
- Fahrenheit is such a retarded way of measuring temps 
