Heat Waves. 08 Feb 1929. “Scaremongers declared it to be the end of the world.” 120 deg F = 48.8 Celsius.

Heat Waves (1929, February 8). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 8 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129219082?searchTerm=heat%20waves&searchLimits=#

Heat Waves
“A. :H.”Evandale:-The present burst of heat recalls hot days of the past.
Fifty years ago there were some very hot, dry summers. The thermometer hovered round the century frequently.
An old diary states that it was 120 degrees in the shade in Adelaide. on January 2, 1867. In those summers children were often afflicted with sore eyes.
A vivid description is given of Black Thursday, which occurred on February 6 1851.
It states that the air was charged with smoke and thick black dust. It was so dark that drivers of vehicles had to lead their teams about the streets.
All business places were closed, Scaremongers declared it to be the end of the world.
Australia had never seen anything like this before: nor has it since.
The whole of the country was enveloped, and no one seemed to know at the time where the
black dust came from.
But it had all cleared away before night.
The heat was so intense that birds fell dead from the trees and many persons were sunstruck.