Temperatures off the charts in Australia forces government to modify scale with new colours

Mining in Australia just got a lot more challenging. The extreme heat wave affecting the country pushed temperatures off existing charts, forcing the county’s Bureau of Meteorology to add new colours to its weather forecasting chart.

The range now includes pink and purple to depict temperatures above 54 Celsius – well above the all-time record temperature of 50.7 C reached on January 2, 1960 at Oodnadatta Airport in South Australia, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Deep purple. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology’s interactive weather forecasting chart has added new colours.

On Monday, the country set a new national average maximum of 40.33 C. Extremes like this have not been seen since the early 70’s, when the country documented a record of 40.17 C on Dec. 21, 1972.

Residents in the hardest-hit areas have been advised to seek shelter and Prime Minister Julia Gillard advised them to stay alert and follow the advice of emergency service providers, especially because of several spontaneous wildfires.

(Image: Australian Bureau of Meteorology)