'Catastrophic conditions': bushfire danger as mercury to hit 45 degrees

'Catastrophic conditions': bushfire danger as mercury to hit 45 degrees

www.smh.com.au

•Firefighters face threat levels not seen for years
•Sydney to swelter but heat records safe
•Tasmanian bushfire beaten back
•Heat provides little cheer, but pub has cold beer

The worst bushfire conditions in many years will hit NSW on Tuesday as temperatures across the state soar to near-record levels.


We've got awful conditions coming our way, and people need to be prepared.

The mercury is expected to skyrocket in many parts of the state as a heatwave pushes super hot air from inland Australia into NSW.


Read more: www.smh.com.au...

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is a warning to all Australians. There is a major news conference happening now warning all those in Australia...mainly NSW, VICTORIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA of the horrific conditions expected over the next few days.

Even though we have all been having a heat wave for the past days, it is expected to get even worse.

Please consider the following:

* make sure if you have elderly neighbours you check on them.
* make sure animals have water.
* try to keep everyone, including elderly, children and animals inside and cool.
* make sure you have a bushfire plan. dont leave it till its too late. from my own experience...it can go from nothing to an inferno in minutes.

If i have forgotten anything...please add a reply with your suggestions.

www.smh.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

one last thing.....also have a plan ready for losing power. tomorrow it is expected that large areas will lose power due to the overwhelming demand from air-conditioners etc.

from previous experience....if you lose power and need to cool down quick:

wet towels and drape them over yourself and animals.

fill the bath so you can have towels soaking. even add ice cubes to the water to cool it down.

you may also want to consider leaving a bucket of water out in your front yard for birds, native animals and strays should they need it.


here are two links to listen live for the emergency services:

www.radioreference.com...

www.radioreference.com...

Holy crap!
I hope that's not coming our way next summer.

Stay cool.

Here's a small idea, but it's good for some.


Plan on having a day in a nice, cool shopping complex.


They're air-conditioned, so you will stay cool.


Relax, buy a magazine or two, and chill out.

reply to post by Unrealised


I couldn't think of anything worse.....

2nd.

Oh crap, I don't like power outages. We use pumps to pump water to house from tank or channel. Not that it's worth pumping its to warm to cool down with.

Went for a swim in the pool and its like hoping into a spa. I guess if the power goes ill drag the kids to a shopping center. But with no money to burn how long will this last

Ah the great auzzie summer, it feels like everything is about to self combust any minute now. I have everything crossed it doesn't .

Those poor firefighters out there keeping us from having to flee our cooled homes I thank you. And agree keep an eye on the old, young and 4 legged friends.

Originally posted by samuel1990
reply to post by Unrealised

 

I couldn't think of anything worse.....

2nd.

Well if you don't have an air conditioner, it could mean the difference between a hot day and a cool day.


Hot days in Australia re HOT days.

Im in sydney..this is going to be a bummer...stepping outside is going to hurt.

reply to post by Unrealised


yep, or head to the cinemas.
The heat is a killer, its so hot you feel the heat in your lungs when you take a breathe!

Bout time sydney had some heat, last few years you madigra folk have enjoyed cool summers!

Why not head to a sauna ? It is closer to 70 celsius in those, then when you get out it will seem like nothing.

The worst I have experienced is 43 and i spent the days in the lake.

Hope all you guys down south stay safe! Get your plans in place and have plenty of water and supplies on hand, my thoughts are with you guys from here in seq x

For anyone else that is curious, 45C is about 113F. I've lived in Texas my entire life, so 100F+ is the norm most of the summer, but 110F+ and really dry conditions is horribly miserable. Seriously, stay safe everyone. Here's to hoping you get a much needed break soon.

It was 44.5 celcius at my workplace on Friday (just outside Hobart).

The bushfires here have been horrific. Entire communities have been wiped out. Thousands displaced... hundreds of people missing.

It's been absolutely awful. And of course, in a place as small as Tasmania, everybody knows somebody affected.

Stay safe in the heat.
...and if it's not safe... and you can't stay... just go.

Originally posted by Unrealised

Originally posted by samuel1990
reply to post by Unrealised

 

I couldn't think of anything worse.....

2nd.

Well if you don't have an air conditioner, it could mean the difference between a hot day and a cool day.


Hot days in Australia re HOT days.

What is this "air conditioner" ? It is strange thing, yes?

Ahh.. it is what the neighbour has on at all hours of the night, which disrupts my slumber.

For me, it is an open window. with a fan. and lots and lots of tears..

Originally posted by winofiend

Originally posted by Unrealised

Originally posted by samuel1990
reply to post by Unrealised

 

I couldn't think of anything worse.....

2nd.

Well if you don't have an air conditioner, it could mean the difference between a hot day and a cool day.


Hot days in Australia re HOT days.

What is this "air conditioner" ? It is strange thing, yes?

Ahh.. it is what the neighbour has on at all hours of the night, which disrupts my slumber.

For me, it is an open window. with a fan. and lots and lots of tears..

Yes, I too, am one without an Air Conditioner.


I don't even have a fan.


My canary likes to splash around in a little pool I made for him out of a Jam-Jar Lid.


I might borrow it off him.

Heat Wave in Australia on Thursday, 03 January, 2013 at 15:06 (03:06 PM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Monday, 07 January, 2013 at 03:42 UTC
Description
The heatwave Sydney has managed to avoid is due to hit on Tuesday, as firefighters prepare for the most dangerous bushfire conditions in years in the city and around the state. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the maximum temperature in inner Sydney and the western suburbs will be 43 after a run of much cooler days. The temperature peaked at 28 in the city and 34 in the western suburbs on Sunday, and it is predicted to top 27 in the city and 33 in the west on Monday. Sydney escaped extreme temperatures for much of the past week because of easterly winds bringing cool air from the ocean, the bureau's duty forecaster, Sarah Hicks, said. "Those winds will move to the west, so that usually brings hotter inland temperatures through to the coast," she said.

Some of the hottest areas in the state at the weekend were in the far west and the southern half of the state, including Hay, which set a record at 48 on Saturday, Ivanhoe, which hit 45, and Wilcannia, which hit 47.6 on Sunday. A NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman, Ben Shepherd, said the hot and windy weather meant fire ratings in Sydney, the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, central ranges and parts of the Riverina could be extreme on Tuesday. Mr Shepherd said those were the highest fire danger ratings the regions had had in years, while almost half the state could have severe fire danger ratings and total fire bans. "The last few years of wet weather have led to unprecedented growth in some areas in the western parts of the state. That grass has now dried out," Mr Shepherd said. "It's now become very susceptible to fire. It's in areas now that haven't seen fire activity for decades.

"Some people don't believe they're as dangerous as bushfires but grass fires typically move around about three times as fast as a bushfire. They can cut roads and impact on properties with little or no warning." RFS volunteers fought about 70 blazes across the state on Sunday. Grass fires sparked by lightning strikes were burning in Stuart Town, near Wellington, and Numeralla, east of Cooma. Firefighters have been preparing for weeks for the extreme heat, and the service has water bombing aircraft on standby. "What we're asking, though, is the public take this opportunity to prepare themselves," Mr Shepherd said. "Clear the gutters, trim back trees, have a hose that reaches the whole way around your home but, most importantly, have a bushfire survival plan." There is likely to be little relief from the heat around NSW for at least a week. Despite relatively cooler temperatures spreading from coastal areas to the south of the state after Tuesday's highs, the weekend was expected to bring more sweltering conditions, Ms Hicks said. "We've got quite a lot of hot upper air over the inland of the state and it's just not really cleared out by that change that comes through on Tuesday and Wednesday," she said.



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and this just issued:



NSW Fire Weather Warning





Source: Bureau of Meteorology
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

for the Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney Region, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Far South Coast, Monaro Alpine, Southern Ranges, Central Ranges, Lower Central West Plains, Southern Slopes, Eastern Riverina, Southern Riverina, Northern Riverina and Far Western fire areas
Issued at 4:02 pm EDT on Monday 7 January 2013.

Weather Situation
Continued hot to very hot, dry and windy conditions ahead of a gusty south to southwesterly change over southern and central New South Wales will result in a Catastrophic to Extreme Fire Danger Rating for most of the southeast of the state, and a Severe Fire Danger Rating for the northwest inland on Tuesday.

For Tuesday 8 January:
Catastrophic Fire Danger is forecast for the following fire areas:
Illawarra/Shoalhaven and Southern Ranges
The NSW Rural Fire Service warns that any bush fire that starts has the potential to cause significant loss of life and destroy many homes.

Extreme Fire Danger is forecast for the following fire areas:
Greater Sydney Region, Monaro Alpine, Central Ranges, Lower Central West Plains, Southern Slopes, Eastern Riverina, Southern Riverina and Northern Riverina
The NSW Rural Fire Service warns that any bush fire that starts has the potential to cause loss of life and destroy many homes.

Severe Fire Danger is forecast for the following fire areas:
Greater Hunter, Far South Coast and Far Western
The NSW Rural Fire Service warns that any bush fire that starts has the potential to threaten lives and destroy homes.

The Rural Fire Service advises you to:

Check your bush fire survival plan - Now.
Monitor the fire and weather situation in any way you can: through www.rfs.nsw.gov.au and www.bom.gov.au, television or radio.
Call Triple Zero if you see a fire.
The Rural Fire Service advises that if you are in an area of Catastrophic Fire Danger:

Leaving is the safest option for your survival - finalise your options for relocation
The NSW Rural Fire Service recommends that you leave the night before.
Prepare to leave - check your bush fire emergency kit.
The Rural Fire Service advises that if you are in an area of Extreme Fire Danger:

If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day
Only stay if your home is specifically designed to withstand fire and you can actively defend it
Prepare for the emotional, mental and physical impact of defending your property - if in doubt, leave.
The Rural Fire Service advises that if you are in an area of Severe Fire Danger:

If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day
Only stay if your home is well prepared and you can actively defend it
Prepare for the emotional, mental and physical impact of defending your property - if in doubt, leave.

Total Fire Ban and Current Fire Danger Map

well....we have just received our phone call with a recorded message and a sms text message on our mobile phones regarding tomorrow.

only trouble is....i am driving from sydney to canberra tomorrow. i plan on leaving early because its basically a 3 hour drive with nothing but bush all the way apart from a few small towns.


p.s: nsw police are now detaining anyone previously charged with arson

Originally posted by bellagirl



p.s: nsw police are now detaining anyone previously charged with arson

edit on 7-1-2013 by bellagirl because: (no reason given)

wtf are you serious ?