Show Notes
Violent winds knocked down electricity transmission towers in South Australia and caused a massive blackout, plunging the state into darkness also started a heated national conversation about renewable energy. The event also sparked a Twitter conversation between prominent tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Mike Cannon-Brookes and an even bigger bet to build a giant battery.
More from The Weather That Changed Us
In 1999 a hailstorm like no other came out of nowhere and rained down across Sydney, Australia’s most populous city. The hail shattered roofs, windows and cars and all previous insurance bills from natural disasters. It also became a transformative moment for the state’s emergency services.
For some children, the breaking of the millennium drought was the first time they had seen rain and puddles. The decade-long dry spell that covered eastern Australia delivered more than cracked earth, it changed how we thought about and valued water. It also heralded ‘star ratings’ so we could buy appliances that saved water.
On a baking hot Canberra day, a phenomenon never before caught on camera was captured unleashing its full power. The first pyro-tornadogenesis, or fire tornado, ever recorded screamed across the Canberra hills and into the suburbs. It also supercharged fire research in Australia and changed our warning systems.
Cyclone Tracy decimated the northern city of Darwin fifty years ago on Christmas Day in 1974. Its devastation also led to transformation. Building codes were overhauled changing how we build houses across Australia today.
In 2009 a blanket of heat smothered south-eastern Australia, killing hundreds and melting cities. This is the story of how this event served as a wake-up call for Australia to manage extreme heat.