It is a record hot summer:
"In Australia, 2013 Was a Scorcher for the Record Books"
"The numbers are in and Australia just finished its hottest year since recordkeeping began in 1910. Not only was 2013 the hottest year on record, but it featured other notable milestones, from adding a new color to the temperature map to a wild and damaging start to bushfire season. And while the calendar has turned to 2014, the weather appears stuck in 2013.
"The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) released its 2013 numbers on Friday. They show that the average annual temperature in Australia was 73.4°F, which was 2.16°F above average based on average temperatures for 1961-1990. That beats the previous mark set in 2005 by 0.31°F."
And a record hot Alaskan January:
"While much of the continental United States endured several cold snaps in January 2014, record-breaking warmth gripped Alaska. Spring-like conditions set rivers rising and avalanches tumbling.
"A persistent ridge of high pressure off the Pacific Coast fueled the warm spell, shunting warm air and rainstorms to Alaska instead of California, where they normally end up. The last half of January was one of the warmest winter periods in Alaska’s history, with temperatures as much as 40°F (22°C) above normal on some days in the central and western portions of the state, according to Weather Underground’s Christopher Bart. The all-time warmest January temperature ever observed in Alaska was tied on January 27 when the temperature peaked at 62°F (16.7°C) at Port Alsworth. Numerous other locations—including Nome, Denali Park Headquarters, Palmer, Homer, Alyseka, Seward, Talkeetna, and Kotzebue—all set January records."