The Weather That Changed Us | Canberra's Fire Tornado

The Weather That Changed Us | Canberra's Fire Tornado

Author: ABC Australia December 8, 2024 Duration: 19:00
On a baking hot Canberra day, a phenomenon never before caught on camera was captured unleashing its full power. The first pyro-tornadogenesis, or fire tornado, ever recorded screamed across the Canberra hills and into the suburbs. It also supercharged fire research in Australia and changed our warning systems.

From ABC Australia, The Weather That Changed Us is a science podcast that examines the nation's complex relationship with extreme conditions. Australia's landscape is routinely shaped by cyclones, fires, floods, and heatwaves-events that are both destructive and strangely unifying. This series moves beyond simply documenting disasters to explore how these profound experiences have collectively altered the country's path. Each episode digs into specific historical events, investigating the tangible changes they sparked in community preparedness, infrastructure, policy, and national identity. The conversation naturally turns toward the future, considering how lessons from the past are applied-or sometimes ignored-in the face of a changing climate. It’s about the social and environmental adaptations forged in the aftermath, asking whether hard-won knowledge can keep pace with new challenges. Listen to The Weather That Changed Us for thoughtful, grounded stories that trace the ripple effects of weather through time, revealing how moments of crisis have quietly sculpted the Australia we live in today and the one we are building for tomorrow.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 16

The Weather That Changed Us
Podcast Episodes
The Weather That Changed Us | Sydney's 1999 Hailstorm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:30
In 1999 a hailstorm like no other came out of nowhere and rained down across Sydney, Australia’s most populous city. The hail shattered roofs, windows and cars and all previous insurance bills from natural disasters. It…
The Weather That Changed Us | Millennium Drought [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:40
For some children, the breaking of the millennium drought was the first time they had seen rain and puddles. The decade-long dry spell that covered eastern Australia delivered more than cracked earth, it changed how we t…
The Weather That Changed Us | SA's Power Blackout [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:00
Violent winds knocked down electricity transmission towers in South Australia and caused a massive blackout, plunging the state into darkness also started a heated national conversation about renewable energy. The event…
The Weather That Changed Us | Heatwave [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:00
In 2009 a blanket of heat smothered south-eastern Australia, killing hundreds and melting cities. This is the story of how this event served as a wake-up call for Australia to manage extreme heat.
The Weather That Changed Us | Cyclone Tracy fifty years on [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:00
Cyclone Tracy decimated the northern city of Darwin fifty years ago on Christmas Day in 1974. Its devastation also led to transformation. Building codes were overhauled changing how we build houses across Australia today…
INTRODUCING — The Weather That Changed Us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:30
Australia is a wild continent with some of the most intense weather on the planet. From massive bushfires to severe cyclones and devastating flooding; extreme weather is becoming part of our everyday lives. How do we tak…
Who's Gonna Save Us? 08 | The energy it takes to be extremely online [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:14
We’re all online, all the time. You’re online right now! But have you ever stopped to think about what's behind the screen? What sort of infrastructure is required to keep us online 24/7? And – how much energy does it us…
Who's Gonna Save Us? 07 | Citizens assemble! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:12
Politicians have been slow to act on climate change, even though people want more action. So what would happen if everyday people got the keys to climate policy? Well, France gave it a crack. In 2019, 150 French citizens…
Who's Gonna Save Us? 06 | Community Power [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:25
Traditionally Australia's electricity system has been dirty, and heavily centred around coal communities. But there's a shift happening. Towns around the country – from Yackandandah, to Shackleton, to Marlinja – are usin…
Who's Gonna Save Us? 05 | Better Call Saul [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:47
Saul Griffith has an ambitious plan to save the planet. And it all begins at home. It’s an electrified revolution for the Australian household! We also meet the petrolheads swapping out fossil fuels for electrons. Climb…