Australia recorded its hottest month ever in January, with mean temperatures exceeding 30C (86F) for the first time. The extreme heat, during the country's summer period, was "unprecedented", according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The mean is the average between the average coldest temperature and average hottest temperature. The fortnight of extreme heat also resulted in the death of up to a million fish in the drought-affected state of New South Wales. The Bureau's State of the Climate 2018 report said climate change had led to an increase in extreme heat events.

Source: The Star February 01, 2019 08:48 UTC