The rural fire department predicts a “very high to severe fire risk” in parts of New South Wales and issues a complete fire ban.
Parts of Australia, including Sydney, smoldered through the hottest November night on record. Temperatures are likely to remain high on Sunday, prompting authorities to issue a total fire ban.
Temperatures in Sydney were over 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while parts of western New South Wales, southern Australia and northern Victoria broke even higher temperatures close to 45 degrees.
Temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees on Sunday for a second straight day, while the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a heatwave of five or six days for parts of northern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland.
The predictions for rising temperatures led the Australian energy market operator to state that the demand on Sunday afternoon could exceed the supply in New South Wales.
“November was unusual in many ways. We only saw about half of our normal rainfall, and it is entirely possible that November will be one of our hottest November, ”said Andrew Watkins, director of climate protection operations at the Bureau of Meteorology.
Australia has seen hotter and longer summers. Last season was dubbed “Black Summer” by Prime Minister Scott Morrison as unusually long and intense bushfires burned nearly 12 million acres, killing 33 people and an estimated 1 billion animals.
The rural fire department enacted a total fire ban on most of eastern and northeastern New South Wales on Sunday. A “very high to severe fire risk” was forecast, as hot, gusty winds exacerbate the dry conditions.
Last summer’s extended bushfire season was fueled by three years of drought, but this year the risk is grasslands after heavy vegetation growth aided by good spring rains.
“Grass may be greener in the area you are in, but it doesn’t take long to dry up once the summer heat sets in,” said Richard Thornton, executive director of Bushfire and Natural Hazard Cooperative Research Center.
Australia’s fire season usually lasts from late spring in the southern hemisphere through summer.
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