UPDATE 1-Large parts of Australia endure heatwave, lifting bushfire risk

The nation's weather forecaster on Sunday issued heatwave alerts for the western state, the neighbouring Northern Territory and the eastern Queensland state, warning temperatures in some regions could hit around 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). In Perth, the capital of Western Australia, the nation's largest state, a maximum temperature of 35 C (95 F) was forecast for Sunday, more than five degrees above the December mean, forecaster data showed. Australia's east was this month scorched due to El Nino, a climate pattern in which unusually warm Pacific Ocean temperatures cause heatwaves, cyclones, droughts and wildfires.