CORRECTS - Australia records hottest day as temperatures rise

CORRECTS 4TH GRAPH, CHANGES PHONE TO EMAIL

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Australia recorded its hottest day on Wednesday with temperatures rising to 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.42 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the country's Bureau of Meteorology.

Earlier, weather officials declared Tuesday as the hottest day with mercury hitting the 40.9 mark, breaking a six-year record.

The country is also struggling with devastating bushfires.

"Australia is a place of extremes and the hot places are becoming more extreme," Glen Klatovsky, deputy head of global climate movement 350 Australia, told Anadolu Agency by email.

"There are multiple factors in this heatwave from the Indian Ocean Dipole and the Southern Oscillation Index and others," he said, adding that climate change amplifies these factors.

Addressing rising concerns about climate refugees, he said there are dozens of towns in the country where water is running out and the government is considering evacuation.

"Australia is experiencing what one degree of warming looks like," Klatovsky said.