Australia’s second largest city, Melbourne, faced one of its hottest days ever on Tuesday, with several suburbs soaring past 45C. Adelaide, the country's fifth largest city, reached 45C on Monday and then suffered its hottest night on record, with temperatures not dropping below about 34C. Remote communities also faced brutal heat, with nearly 49.6C recorded in Renmark near South Australia. The heat wave comes with fierce bushfires in the Otways region, south-west of Melbourne, just weeks after flash flooding hit the area. Experts from the World Weather Attribution group say such heatwaves are now five times more likely due to human-caused global warming. They estimate the climate crisis raised temperatures by about 1.6C during recent heatwaves that fueled fires burning over 400,000 hectares and destroying nearly 900 buildings since January. Melbourne’s heat peak matched the infamous Black Saturday of 2009 when temperatures hit 46.4C, triggering deadly fires that killed 173 people. Earlier that year, a two-week heatwave caused 374 deaths, mainly among vulnerable elderly people. Such intense heatwaves, rare before, may now become common every five years, or even every two years if global heating reaches 2.6C above preindustrial levels. The rising heat calls for urgent climate action and better preparation for extreme weather. While efforts to cut emissions continue, Australia still plans to expand fossil fuel exports, including coal and gas fields near fire-prone regions. Critics argue this stance worsens the crisis while putting millions at risk. As heatwaves batter Melbourne and Adelaide, the need for stronger climate policies and adaptation grows ever clearer.