Significant Areas of Australia Anticipating Heightened Summer Bushfire Threat: Officials
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Sydney, Nov 28 (NationPress) Australian emergency officials cautioned on Thursday that a substantial portion of the nation's southern coastline is experiencing an escalated risk of bushfires as summer approaches.
The Australian Fire and Emergency Services Council (AFAC) published the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Summer 2024, indicating a heightened fire risk across extensive regions of the country, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
It was noted that nearly half of the southeastern state of Victoria, which is Australia's second-most populated state, along with the southern coast of Western Australia (WA) and certain coastal areas of South Australia (SA), are facing increased fire threats.
Extensive regions of the Northern Territory (NT) outback are also under heightened fire risk, as well as inland areas in New South Wales (NSW), the most populous state, and the central west coast of WA.
According to AFAC, the average temperatures across Australia from April to October were the third-highest noted since 1910, while rainfall in the southern regions was below the norm.
“The dry winter and spring period throughout southern Australia has primed the landscape for bushfires. Communities should be prepared for bushfires and have a contingency plan ready. While we hope for rain, it is prudent to plan as if it won't come,” stated AFAC chief executive Rob Webb.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) also issued a long-range forecast for summer, indicating that the season is expected to be warmer than usual in most parts of the country.
Nonetheless, it also predicts increased summer rainfall, particularly in December.
“From October to April, Australia faces its peak period for severe thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, flooding, heatwaves, and bushfires,” BoM remarked.
At a press conference in Canberra, the deputy coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Joe Buffalone, declared that authorities are now better equipped than ever to manage severe weather incidents.
