Doctors warn there are biological limits to temperatures we can survive, and exposure to extreme heat can provoke a heart attack

Australia’s southern states are scorching in extreme heat that could break temperature records in Victoria and South Australia on Tuesday.

At Ouyen and Mildura in north-west Victoria, temperatures of 49C were forecast for Tuesday afternoon. If reached, they would break the state’s all-time temperature record of 48.8C, set in Hopetoun on Black Saturday in 2009. By 1pm, temperatures of 46.2C in Ouyen and 44.8C in Mildura had been recorded.

At Ouyen and Mildura in north-west Victoria, temperatures of 49C were forecast for Tuesday afternoon. If reached, they would break the state’s all-time temperature record of 48.8C, set in Hopetoun on Black Saturday in 2009. By 1pm, temperatures of 46.2C in Ouyen and 44.8C in Mildura had been recorded.

In Adelaide, the mercury hit 40C before 9.30am on Tuesday, after overnight lows of 35C, BoM observations showed.

Extreme heat is the most common cause of weather-related hospitalisations in Australia, and kills more people than all other natural hazards combined. What does exposure to extreme heat – such as a temperature of 49C – do to the body?

  • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    3·
    1 day ago

    It’s funny how it’s supposed to be great to measure “human temperatures”, yet 98.6 is normal and 100 is a fever.

    • Ach@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      23 hours ago

      I agree that celcius is better, but this is a terrible point. This would be a biological reaction. Different topic.

      • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        2·
        11 hours ago

        Terrible point? The body temperature is literally the upper defining point of the scale. Except that Fahrenheit chose that point to be 96, and he was still wrong.

        • Ach@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          10 hours ago

          Yes, it uses the the human body in a healthy state to determine a range of habitable temperatures. There is no math involved that is even remotely concerned with temperatures in a sick person. Not my opinion. Fahrenheit factors in general habitability, it doesn’t take into consideration something like a specific group of elderly people who’s temperature runs low due to low blood pressure.

          • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            1·
            10 hours ago

            Whoa that’s a lot of being butthurt about nothing.

            I’m just saying, if you’re going to make a scale that is defined by body temperature, why tf would you make that point 98.6 or 96 instead of 100? The “you need to remember 37” argument doesn’t make much sense if you need to remember 98.6 does it?

            • Ach@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              9 hours ago

              You are not reading me. I am 100% agreeing with you that the scale is fucking stupid and illogical. I’m trying to point out that it does not, no matter how much you say, consider someone with a virus or illness.

              I’m saying to make the point we both agree on, it’s valuable to understand this.