The southeast of Australia was sweltering in a heat wave on Sunday, raising the risk of bushfires and prompting authorities to issue fire bans for huge parts of New South Wales state.
The nation’s weather forecaster said that temperatures in some locations will be up to 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average, with Sydney, the capital of Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
According to forecaster data, the temperature at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport was already 28C (82.4F) by 10 a.m. (2300 GMT), more than five degrees above the September mean maximum temperature.
Australia is facing a high-risk bushfire season as a result of a recently announced El Nino meteorological event, which is often connected with extreme events such as wildfires, cyclones, and droughts.
State Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the scorching heat increased the likelihood of bushfires in the coming week.
“Not only is it hot, but it’s dry and windy, and those conditions combined are the perfect storm”, Dib said as he declared the start of an official bushfire danger period.
In an effort to lessen the likelihood of bushfires, fire authorities declared nine total burn bans for portions of the state on Sunday.
The last two fire seasons in Australia have been peaceful in comparison to the devastating 2019-2020 Black Summer of bushfires, which burnt an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.
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