Heat wave-choked Australia sticks out like a sore thumb in a map of world weather
(CNN) It's ferociously cold in pockets of North America and Asia and relatively mild in the summery Southern Hemisphere. This map tells you as much. But that blazing patch of red that separates the Indian and Pacific Oceans is an anomaly, choked by the hottest December weather anywhere on Earth. That's because Australia is baking under a blistering heat wave. On Thursday, temperatures averaged 105.6 degrees Fahrenheit across the continent. Some areas saw the heat climb even higher: In Port Augusta, in south Australia, temperatures peaked at 121 degrees — the hottest December temperature recorded of any country. It's summer in December in Australia, so warmer weather is fairly common this time of year. But it's never this hot, and never for so long.