A 'severe heatwave' was declared for large parts of Tasmania as temperatures reached the high 20s, and overnight lows were in the high teens. It's raised the question of why a mild summer's day in one part of Australia is a heatwave in another — and if everyone experiences heat the same way. Like much of Australia, studies show that Tasmanian suburbs lack resilience to heatwaves, and there are calls to improve urban design and rental standards.
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00:00It's a top of 28 today in Hobart and the sun is beating down.
00:07A severe heatwave was declared for broad parts of Tasmania this week, but is it really that
00:12hot?
00:13In my 20s I wouldn't classify it as hot, no it's nice.
00:1625 is pretty amazing and pretty lovely, above 30 is getting a bit hot.
00:21It's hot, I don't know if it's a heatwave.
00:24A heatwave in the high 20s might sound unusual to mainlanders, but it's based on the concept
00:29of excess heat factor.
00:31We have heatwaves under relatively mild temperatures in Tasmania because people feel the heat differently
00:37in different parts of the country.
00:39It's been driven by persistent northeasterly winds, bringing humid conditions.
00:44And that humidity, while people are probably feeling that feels very muggy, it also keeps
00:48the minimum temperatures up overnight.
00:50And it's true, the UV rating is typically stronger in Tasmania.
00:55It's at a dangerous level for the entire time between September and April, and at an
01:00extreme level this weekend.
01:02It's quite surprising that in Tasmania we actually have higher melanoma rates than most
01:08of the country, besides Queensland.
01:10When combined with an older population, more people with underlying health conditions and
01:14poorer access to health care, hotter conditions than normal can be dangerous.
01:19And a study last year found that Tasmanian suburbs lack tree coverage, that the planning
01:24scheme is insufficient to adapt communities to heat, and that the places where most Tasmanians
01:29live are heating the fastest.
01:32There's also no requirements for cooling in rental properties.
01:35So with heatwaves to become more common in a warming climate, there's a growing need
01:40to adapt now, before it's too late.