Extreme heat and fires affect Adelaide and the Mount Lofty Ranges
Date
22–26 February 1847
Summary / Overview
Extreme heat affected Adelaide and the surrounding plains in late February 1847, accompanied by fires in the Mount Lofty Ranges. A newspaper report on 23 February described three days of fires and intense heat, with indoor temperatures reaching 94°F (34.4°C) and reportedly exceeding 100°F (37.8°C) in some houses. By 27 February, the heat was reported to be severe enough to disrupt newspaper production.
Meteorological data recorded at the time
Indoor temperature of 94°F (34.4°C) reported on 23 February; temperatures reportedly exceeded 100°F (37.8°C) in some houses.
Historical descriptions / observations
South Australian (Adelaide), 23 Feb 1847: ‘For the last three days the Mount Lofty ranges have been on fire, and Adelaide and the plains have been absolutely scorched with heat. In the room where we write, the mercury stands at 94°, the highest it has attained, but we are aware that in some houses it has risen considerably above 100 °. The mountains are covered with a lurid thick haze, and altogether dame nature wears a most dismal aspect’. South Australian Register, 27 Feb 1847: ‘In consequence of the length of our report of the libel case, and the extreme heat of the weather rendering it almost impossible for our compositors to pursue their work, we can only briefly record today the two cases that occupied the Court’.
Impacts / Stories
Fires had been burning across the Mount Lofty Ranges for three days, accompanied by thick haze. The heat also disrupted newspaper production. On 27 February, the South Australian Register explained that “the extreme heat of the weather” made it “almost impossible for our compositors to pursue their work,” forcing the newspaper to provide only brief coverage of two court cases.
Source
William Wyatt’s daily meteorological diary (1838–1847)