Australia is suffering through a brutal heat wave that's seen high-temperature records smashed across the country. Summer is off to a sizzling start Down Under, where the monthly average high is 16 degrees Celsius higher than usual. "Heatwave conditions are being experienced across large parts of the country," the country's Bureau of Meteorology said Friday. The strange swelter stretches across the Northern Territory and the southern parts of four states. Marble Bar, a tiny town in Western Australia that bills itself as the country's hottest, set a new record Thursday at a blistering 49.3 degrees Celsius, the weather bureau reported. Meanwhile, the country's populous southeastern corner is faring little better, with the capital of Canberra also setting a record for hottest December day — 39 degrees Celsius on Saturday — while coastal Sydney will be able to cook eggs on the sidewalk in 40-degree heat. For a bit of perspective, 40 degrees Celsius is equivalent to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.