Documented record · well documented
Onslow, Western Australia
January peak daily maximum · Australia
Onslow Airport reached 50.7 °C, equalling Australia's national heat record set at Oodnadatta, South Australia in January 1960.
Why a record is measured against the place
A number on its own says very little. 50.7 °C would be unremarkable in one climate and unthinkable in another. What makes a record matter is its distance from what that place, at that time of year, has historically produced — its own normal.
Not Normal expresses that distance in standard deviations (σ) from a thirty-year baseline. Two σ above normal is reached in roughly 1 year in 44 under the baseline climate; four σ above, roughly 1 year in 32,000.
Modelled demonstration series · not observed data
The same place on the field
Not Normal carries a modelled 75-year series for Onslow, Western Australia (January peak daily maximum) that demonstrates the reasoning above. It is synthesised from published climatology, not observed, and is kept apart from the documented record on this page.
The season here
Pilbara summer. Extreme heat here needs an offshore wind — the sea breeze failing is what makes the difference between 45 and 50.
Other documented records
Open Onslow on the field →