Turn Up the Air Conditioning!

While England wraps up warm for the traditional mid-winter freeze, Australia’s road tar begins to melt.

What most people don’t realise is that while, in January, England is in the middle of winter, many other countries are halfway through their summers. Australia, in particular, is really heating up with some of the highest temperatures ever seen there.

On Tuesday 14^th January 2014, the weather forecast for England was 2°C. The weather forecast for Australia was 45°C. The English were turning up the heating; the Australians were turning up the AC. The English were pulling on gloves, scarves and coats; the Australians were stepping into swimwear. All over Australia everyone was heading to the beach, ready for a day of fun, games and sunbathing.

But not all of the effects of hot weather are exciting and enjoyable; according to BBC News, in Victoria over 250 fires were started by lightning strikes, resulting in a fire ban and several evacuations taking place. In Melbourne, at the Australian Open, a tennis player collapsed 2 hours and 22 minutes into his second round. In Tasmania, the road tar began to melt. The consequences of the heat were startling and upsetting.

There are, however, some funny and surprising aftermaths of the heat. On Friday afternoon, a video was uploaded onto CBBC Newsround. It showed a chocolate being placed on a street in Victoria on Wednesday - it melted in less than three minutes! Press play to watch the video below!

Hopefully the weather in Australia will cool down drastically, making Australia the fun and exciting place that it usually is. So, where would you rather spend your next winter – in England, with a temperature of 2°C, or in Australia, with a temperature of 45°C?

By Alisha Shaikh,

year 8