New color is added to the weather map to depict extreme heat in Australia

It's going to be a rough week in Australia, where the country’s Bureau of Meteorology had to add a new color to weather forecasting map, extending the range to 54ºC, or 129ºF, from the previous cap of 50ºC, or 122ºF. The new, deeper purple “dome of heat” swirls above South Australia, indicating temperatures above 50ºC in some areas. This last Monday was the country's hottest day on record nationwide, with average maximum temperatures around the country of 40.33 degrees, and officials expect more to come. A seven-day record-breaking heat-wave has led to a mass outbreak of fires across the country and in the most populous state of New South Wales, the official fire danger rating is "catastrophic”. Fire fighters have been battling more than 140 fast-moving wildfires in Australia. The extreme heat conditions this week were expected to replicate those of 2009, when “Black Saturday” wildfires in the state of Victoria killed 173 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.
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