SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) - As massive wildfires devastate swathes of Australia and supercharge the debate over the impact of climate change, government data show the nation has never suffered a hotter or drier year than 2019.

The average temperature last year was about 1.5 degree Celsius above the 30-year mean, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology, which goes back to 1910. Meanwhile, rainfall dropped to its lowest in figures back to 1900. The government agency is scheduled to release final figures and its annual climate report next week.