Sydney, Sep 2 (IANS): Australia has reported its hottest August on record, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) confirmed on Monday.

According to official data released by the BoM, the national average temperature in August was 3.03 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 long-term average for the month, Xinhua news agency reported.

It breaks the previous national temperature August record of 2.56 degrees Celsius above the long-term average set in 2009.

The 2024 winter, which spanned from the start of June to the end of August, was Australia's second-hottest on record going back to 1910, the BoM said, behind only the winter of 2023.

The data revealed that the national average temperature was 1.48 degrees Celsius above the long-term average for the 2024 winter, compared to 1.54 degrees Celsius above average in 2023.

"Australia has never recorded a winter month anywhere near as warm as August 2024," meteorological service Weatherzone said on Monday.

The states of Western Australia (WA), Queensland and South Australia all set new record-high winter temperatures in the second half of August.

Yampi Sound in remote northwestern WA recorded a maximum temperature of 41.6 degrees Celsius on August 26, setting a new all-time national record for the highest winter temperature.

It beat the previous winter record of 41.2 degrees Celsius set in the nearby town of West Roebuck in August 2020.

At the time, the BoM attributed the unseasonal heat to persistent high-pressure systems over central and northern Australia that brought clear skies and consistent daytime heating from the sun over a large area.

Simon Grainger, a senior BoM climatologist, said on Monday that very high ocean temperatures around Australia in July had set the groundwork for the record-breaking August, reports Xinhua news agency, citing a local daily Guardian Australia.

"When we get these significant heat events, they can break records by quite a large margin," he said.

The Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council will release its outlook for the risk of spring bushfires around Australia at its annual summit, which begins in Sydney on Tuesday and runs until Friday.