Sydney sweats in spring hot spell, faces ‘extreme’ bushfire risk
Forecasters said 5.6 million people faced extreme fire danger as dry winds and unseasonable warmth pushed bushfire risk higher.
- On Saturday, September 5, Sydney is under a total fire ban as temperatures in the city of 5.6 million people are forecast to hit 33 degrees Celsius, nearly 13 degrees above average.
- The Bureau of Meteorology warned that "fresh to strong and gusty northwesterly winds" combined with "dry, unseasonably warm conditions" would elevate fire dangers across the Greater Sydney Region today.
- State fire authorities rated the fire risk as "extreme," the second-highest danger rating, with the ban prohibiting any fires out in the open to prevent disaster.
- This heatwave follows Sydney's warmest winter in 167 years of records, illustrating how climate change is making extreme heat more common in Australia, a bushfire-prone country of around 27 million.
- A powerful Nino weather pattern in the Pacific continues to drive hotter, drier conditions through the September-November spring season, though the fire danger rating is forecast to return to moderate over the coming days.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Sydney, Australia's most densely populated city, experienced a severe spring heat wave on Saturday, raising the risk of forest fires.
The thermometer is expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius – Lighting fires has been banned due to "extreme" fire risk
Sydney sweats in spring hot spell, faces ‘extreme’ bushfire risk
SYDNEY, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Australia's most populous city Sydney baked in a burst of sweltering spring heat on Saturday, raising the risk of bushfires and prompting authorities to issue a ban on lighting fires. The heat comes as a powerful El Nino we...
An El Niño weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, expected to be one of the strongest in decades, is causing warmer and drier conditions across southern Australia in the September-November period during spring.
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