Code Red issued in Australia as the country endures record heatwave

Port Augusta reached 48.9C

Australians are sweating in temperatures as much as 12C above average after another extreme heatwave swept across the country Monday and Tuesday, for the second time in less than a month. Port Augusta in South Australia reached 48.9C on Tuesday as a heatwave continues across much of Australia threatening more record hot temperatures over the coming days. All-time highest minimum temperatures have broken in three places. You thought it was bad trying to sleep in the UK during our heatwave last summer, well Meekatharra in Western Australia and Fowlers Gap and White Cliffs in New South Wales all registered an overnight minimum of 33C on Monday. From Tuesday to Friday, parts of Australia may break January heat records, with daytime maximums extending up to the mid-40s. "Plan to keep yourself cool, check in on family and friends and follow the advice from your local health authorities," the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said on social media. Last month, a brutal heatwave post-Christmas swept across Australia triggering extreme or severe fire warnings across three states and severe droughts across the country. The South Australian housing authority has issued a “code red” until 16 January for greater metropolitan Adelaide. The high temperatures are also having an adverse effect on wildlife in Australia with more than a million dead fish washing up on the banks of the Murray-Darling River Basin across the southeast.