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From: Jesse Ferrell (WeatherMatrix) (ferrell{at}weathermatrix.net)
Date: Sat Feb 28 2004 - 12:14:37 EST
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11960
"Sweltering temperatures have baked Southern Australia in recent weeks. As
summer begins to draw to a close in the southern hemisphere, the
temperatures usually drop, but not this year. News reports are calling this
the hottest February on record. The average temperature between February 10
and February 17, 2004, for much of Southeastern Australia soared at least 6
degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal temperatures for
this time of year. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported
record-breaking temperatures, most above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees
Fahrenheit), across South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and
Queensland in February. Ivanhoe, New South Wales reached that state's high
of 48.5 degrees Celsius (119 degrees Fahrenheit) on February 15. Brisbane,
Australia's third largest city hit a record high of 41.7 degrees Celsius
(107 degrees Fahrenheit) on February 22. Twenty-nine sudden deaths,
suspected to be heat related, were reported in the city over the weekend.
The hot spell is significant not only for its intensity, but also for its
duration. By February 20, Adelaide, South Australia, marked its 17th
consecutive day with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees
Fahrenheit). These Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
images confirm the length of the heat wave. They show the average
temperature of the land from February 2 to February 9, and from February 10
to February 17, 2004. The highest temperatures, represented by bright
yellow, linger over southeastern Australia throughout both periods.
Temperatures in these images reach up to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees
Fahrenheit). The apparent discrepancy between reported temperatures and the
temperatures that MODIS recorded has to do with the way MODIS measures
temperature. The MODIS instrument records the thermal infrared radiative
energy, or heat, of the land. Like a glowing stove burner or a light bulb
filament, heated objects emit light, though only in some cases is the light
visible. By recording the wavelength of the emitted light, scientists can
determine how hot an object is. MODIS records the heat coming from the land
surface, which can be matched to the temperature. The temperatures that are
recorded at weather stations are air temperatures. Land surface
temperatures are typically 15 degrees Celsius (27 degrees Fahrenheit)
warmer than air temperatures in dry regions when the sky is free of clouds."
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