Weather Warning: Limpopo and Mpumalanga

Hot and humid conditions leading to dangerously high levels of discomfort are expected in the lowveld areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Global warming hits Australia with fires and floods

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia endured bushfires, floods and record high temperatures in its drought-ravaged foodbowl in 2007 as global warming brought the nation's sixth hottest year on record, the weather bureau said on Thursday.

The crucial Murray-Darling river basin, home to 2 million people and almost half the country's fruit and cereal crop, had its hottest known year, the Bureau of Meteorology said in its 2007 Australian Climate Statement.

The mean maximum temperature of 28.6 Celsius (83.5 Fahrenheit) was almost a full degree above normal, bringing record average temperatures to the heavily populated southeast, the bureau said, pointing to climate change as the reason.

"The standout year is 2005, which was Australia's warmest year on record, but essentially all the warm years that we've had have been in recent years," climate analysis spokesman David Jones told local radio.

By Rob Taylor
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Analysis: The Dry Weather This Year (South Africa)

For September 2007 the western, southern and eastern parts of the country show dry conditions; where even severely to extremely dry conditions were experienced in parts of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces.

Somewhat to moderately dry conditions were experienced over the southern, central and eastern parts, but severely dry over the central part of Mpumalanga for the three months from July to September 2007. Over the six-month period from April to September 2007 most parts of South Africa experienced somewhat to moderately dry conditions, most severe in the central parts of the Northern Cape, parts of the Eastern Cape and smaller areas in northern KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

The 12- and 24-month SPI maps gives a good idea of areas where prolonged droughts exist because of below-normal rainfall recorded over a period of one year or longer. Most of the interior of the country is somewhat to moderately dry, with some areas that are experiencing severely dry conditions, most noteworthy the central part of the Northern Cape, southern Limpopo into Mpumalanga in the west, eastern Mpumalanga in the Kruger National Park, and isolated areas in the North-West and Free State provinces.

Source: Weathersa.co.za

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