Marble Bar falls just short of breaking 20-year record for consecutive days above 43C

Marble Bar has narrowly missed breaking its own record for the most consecutive days of temperatures above 43 degrees, peaking at 42.5C on Sunday to fall just one day and half a degree short.

Marble Bar made international headlines in the 1920s when it registered 160 consecutive days above 37.8C in 1923-24, a world record that still stands to this day.

And almost exactly 100 years later, the town has sweltered through 26 days of maximums over 43C, falling just shy of its record of 27 straight days in which the mercury reached 43C.

Marble Bar reached or exceeded 43C every day between December 19 and January 14.

This 26-day run of maximum temperatures at or above 43C is the equal second longest such spell on record, matching similar heatwaves in 2021 and 2015-16, and beaten only by the 27-day stretch in 2005.

Marble Bar Caravan Park manager Cath Nation told AAP the extreme heat was tough on the outback town and most people retreated indoors by about 9am each day to escape it.

The wildlife hasn’t been so lucky.

“We’ve got birds dropping out of trees,” Ms Nation told AAP.

“I was just taking a walk down near the camp kitchen and dead birds were laying there, carked it, keeled over, too hot.

“There is an upside to it all: the washing dries in about 10 minutes.”

The tiny town of about 630 people has laboured through daily maximum temperatures of more than 36C since September 9.