Extreme weather that has forced thousands of Queensland residents to flee their homes should give people a wake-up call over climate change, a New Zealand scientist says.
A large low pressure system crossed the continent this week, causing storms in New South Wales and pushing a mass of warm air ahead of it.
This brought higher temperatures and stronger westerly winds across the Queensland border, lowering local humidity levels at a time dozens of fires were burning.
In Gracemere, south-west of Rockhampton, 8000 residents were ordered to leave as a catastrophic fire approached the town.
Kiwi climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger has been monitoring the situation, and considered it unprecedented – even for Queensland.