Australia has had its hottest day ever recorded with an average temperature of 40.9C

Driest spring on record, too.

Australia has had its hottest day ever recorded. On Tuesday, the country experienced an average temperature high of 40.9 degrees, surpassing the previous 40.3 degrees set on 7 January 2013. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, 95 percent of the country experienced dry fire danger weather that was considerably higher than the average. This, as well as the driest spring on record - and the second hottest spring since 1910 - has led to dangerous bushfires sparking up across New South Wales and the surrounding area. The Bureau added that it is incredibly likely that the hot temperatures will only continue to rise, leading to increased dangerous conditions. A heatwave due to start today could also break records across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. This comes after groups of health professionals called on the Australian government to act on the "public health emergency" caused by the haze of smoke settling over cities and towns due to the bushfires. Sydney has been affected particularly bad by the smoke that is said to be 11 times more dangerous than "hazardous" levels.