<p>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.</p>

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.

The Weather That Changed Us | Heatwave

The podcast Who's Gonna Save Us has changed its name to The Weather That Changed Us

Australia experiences all kinds of extreme weather. Cyclones, fires, floods and heat — we see it all. But in the midst of these disasters, it seems we're pretty good at rallying together and making necessary changes. So how have we taken what we've learned in the past to shape the Australia of today and our future? And what are the challenges that climate change will bring? In a year of ever-hotter global temperature records, warnings about ice melting in Antarctica and the northern hemisphere, rapidly developing hurricanes, torrential rain and flooding, it can be hard to understand the ways our weather is changing and intensifying. Everyone is grappling with what it's like to live in a warming world and the consequences we will have to face and survive.

In this season we revisit 2009 when a blanket of heat smothered south-eastern Australia, killing hundreds and melting cities. It's the story of how that became a wake-up call for Australia, that we need to change how we manage extreme heat.

Fifty years later we learn how Cyclone Tracy decimated the northern city of Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974. But its devastation also led to transformation. Building codes were overhauled changing how we build houses across Australia today.

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.

In 2003 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.

For some children, the breaking of the millennium drought was the first time they'd seen rain and puddles. But 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.

For those who lived through them, our past disasters have left deep and lasting change. But they've also left a legacy for us all, from the houses we build to the jobs we do, our politics and the way we live in our world. Join 'The Weather That Changed Us' to learn more about the disasters that shocked, united and rallied Australians and how they can prepare us for the next ones Australia will face.

Science

The podcast Who's Gonna Save Us has changed its name to The Weather That Changed Us Australia experiences all kinds of extreme weather. Cyclones, fires, floods and heat — we see it all. But in the midst of these disasters, it seems we're pretty good at rallying together and making necessary changes. So how have we taken what we've learned in the past to shape the Australia of today and our future? And what are the challenges that climate change will bring? In a year of ever-hotter global temperature records, warnings about ice melting in Antarctica and the northern hemisphere, rapidly developing hurricanes, torrential rain and flooding, it can be hard to understand the ways our weather is changing and intensifying. Everyone is grappling with what it's like to live in a warming world and the consequences we will have to face and survive. In this season we revisit 2009 when a blanket of heat smothered south-eastern Australia, killing hundreds and melting cities. It's the story of how that became a wake-up call for Australia, that we need to change how we manage extreme heat. Fifty years later we learn how Cyclone Tracy decimated the northern city of Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974. But its devastation also led to transformation. Building codes were overhauled changing how we build houses across Australia today. 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. In 2003 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. For some children, the breaking of the millennium drought was the first time they'd seen rain and puddles. But 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. For those who lived through them, our past disasters have left deep and lasting change. But they've also left a legacy for us all, from the houses we build to the jobs we do, our politics and the way we live in our world. Join 'The Weather That Changed Us' to learn more about the disasters that shocked, united and rallied Australians and how they can prepare us for the next ones Australia will face.

Share The Weather That Changed Us | Heatwave

Sign up to save your podcasts

The Weather That Changed Us | Heatwave

The Weather That Changed Us | Heatwave

More shows like The Weather That Changed Us

The Science Show

Background Briefing

All In The Mind

Health Report - Full program podcast

Conversations

Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

Big Ideas

Politics Now

Trace

ABC Rewind

If You're Listening

Unravel

No Feeling Is Final

Still Jill

Finding Drago | Finding Desperado

7am

Inside the Big Day Out

Full Story

What's That Rash?

Days Like These

Stuff The British Stole

Not Stupid

Dig

Expanse

Quick Smart

No One Saw It Coming