Is anybody paying attention up here?

I'm sure that those Down Under are noticing, but up (north) here in this hemisphere, climate skeptics are trying to find any scrap of cold and snow news they can find.

But Australia is nearing or setting temperature records during what is, of course, their summer.

Hmm... where have we heard THAT before?

How hot Down Under?

"In Western Australia, readings Thursday topped nearly as high as the vast state's all-time maximum temperature of 49.8 degrees C, or 121.6 degrees F.

The hottest spot, from data available to AccuWeather.com, was Red Rocks Point, which soared to 48.6 degrees C, or 119.5 degrees F. Red Rocks is located in the southeast of the state, right along the chilly waters of the Great Australian Bight."

Australia's [Tasmania's] Hobart experiences hottest day

"Australia's southern island of Tasmania has experienced its hottest day since records began, with the capital Hobart sweltering at 41.8 Celsius (107.2 Fahrenheit) on Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the temperature in Tasmania, where records have been kept since the early 1880s, beat the previous high of 40.8 Celsius set in January 1976."

And not just by a little - a whole degree C.