Too hot to change church sign as Canberra heads for 40 again
At St Peter's Anglican Church in Weston, it was too hot to change the sign on Tuesday afternoon.
"Too hot to keep changing sign – sin bad, Jesus good, details inside," it read.
Wednesday will see more of the same with a forecast temperature of 41. By 11am, the Bureau of Meteorology had recorded 34.8 degrees in the capital.
The bureau's Anita Pyne said Canberra was on track to break its record for the number of consecutive days above 40 degrees, after 40.1 was recorded yesterday.
In February 2009, three days of 40.3 degrees were recorded.
But while there is a chance Canberra's hot weather record – set on February 1, 1968 when temperatures reached 42.2 degrees – forecasters aren't predicting temperatures above 41.
A trough and high pressure system are still working to bring down hot air from central Australia, which has seen overnight temperatures stay in the 20s as heat is trapped in the region.
A cool change is still expected late on Friday night or early on Saturday morning that will drop temperatures closer to the January average at the weekend.
Conservator for Flora and Fauna Ian Walker said high temperatures this week could leave native wildlife feeling heat stress but he encouraged people to not approach native animals, particularly avoiding bats.
"The extreme heat is stressful for our wildlife so it is important to avoid approaching them and unwittingly causing them additional stress or putting yourself in harm’s way.
"You can also help by keeping your pets inside or on a lead to avoid contact with animals on the ground or in a weakened state during this time," he said.
The ACT RSPCA again warned Canberrans against leaving pets in hot cars, which can lead to an animal's death in six minutes.
The RSPCA also encouraged pet owners to ensure there was enough food, water and shade for their animals during the heatwave.
Urban Treescapes manager Rachael Dawes called on local residents to help water Canberra's street trees, which are only watered once a month by the government but work to cool down suburban streets.
"While we are doing our best to ensure Canberra’s trees remain healthy, any help from the community in terms of watering is always appreciated and very beneficial," she said.