Australia's New South Wales sweats through heatwave, faces 'extreme' bushfire risk
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's New South Wales on Sunday sweated in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and prompted authorities to issue a total fire ban for state capital Sydney.
New South Wales, coming to the end of a high risk bushfire season that runs until the end of March, was a focus of a catastrophic 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of wildfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.
On Sunday, the nation's weather forecaster said temperatures would be up to 12 degrees Celsius (21.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average in some areas of the state, with temperatures in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, set to hit 37C (98.6F).
At Sydney Airport, the temperature was already 29.3C (84.7 F) at 9:30 a.m. local time, more than three degrees above the March mean maximum temperature, according to forecaster data.
Gusty winds, "hot conditions and low relative humidity will result in extreme fire danger over the greater Sydney region," the forecaster said on its website.
The state's Rural Fire Service said on X that a total fire ban was in place for large swaths of the state including Sydney due to the forecast of "hot, dry and windy conditions".
In neighbouring Victoria state, a home was destroyed in a bushfire on the outskirts of Melbourne that was being battled by around 200 firefighters, Country Fire Authority official Bernard Barbetti told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday.
Climate change is causing extreme heat and fire weather to become more common in Australia, a bushfire-prone country of around 27 million, the country's science agency said last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
18 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Scorching temperatures grip Europe, putting regions on high alert
ANKARA, Turkey — Forest fires fanned by high winds and hot, dry weather damaged some holiday homes in Turkey as a lingering heat wave that has cooked much of Europe led authorities to raise warnings and tourists to find ways to beat the heat on Monday. A heat dome hovered over an arc from France, Portugal and Spain to Turkey, while data from European forecasters suggested other countries were set to broil further in coming days. New highs are expected on Wednesday before rain is forecast to bring respite to some areas later this week. 'Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal,' tweeted U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres from Seville, Spain, where temperatures were expected to hit 42 Celsius (nearly 108 Fahrenheit) on Monday afternoon. Reiterating his frequent calls for action to fight climate change , Guterres added: 'The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous — no country is immune.' In France, which was almost entirely sweltering in the heatwave on Monday and where air conditioning remains relatively rare, local and national authorities were taking extra effort to care for homeless and elderly people and people working outside. Some tourists were putting off plans for some rigorous outdoor activities. 'We were going to do a bike tour today actually, but we decided because it was gonna be so warm not to do the bike tour,' said Andrea Tyson, 46, who was visiting Paris from New Philadelphia, Ohio. Authorities in Portugal issued a red heat warning for seven of 18 districts as temperatures were forecast to hit 43 degrees Celsius, a day after logging a record June temperature of 46.6 degrees C. Almost all inland areas were at high risk of wildfires. In Turkey, forest fires fanned by strong winds damaged some holiday homes in Izmir's Doganbey region and forced the temporary closure of the airport in Izmir, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Authorities evacuated four villages as a precaution, the Forestry Ministry said. In Italy, the Health Ministry put 21 cities under its level three 'red' alert, which indicates 'emergency conditions with possible negative effects' on healthy, active people as well as at-risk old people, children and chronically ill people. Regional governments in northwestern Liguria and southern Sicily in Italy put restrictions on outdoor work, such as construction and agricultural labor, during the peak heat hours. In southern Germany, temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) were expected on Monday, and they were forecast to creep higher until midweek – going as high as 39 degrees (102F) on Wednesday. Some German towns and regions imposed limits on how much water can be taken from rivers and lakes. ___ AP reporters from across Europe contributed to this report.
Associated Press
20 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Wimbledon is bracing for record-breaking Day 1 temperatures as the tournament gets started
LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon was preparing for the possibility of record-breaking Day 1 heat as the oldest Grand Slam tournament got started Monday. The temperature shortly before play was scheduled to begin in the first matches at 11 a.m. local time was 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 Celsius) — not yet quite reaching the 85 F (29.3 C) measured during the first day of the 2001 fortnight. 'I'll spend the whole day going from one shady spot to another,' said Sally Bolton, the chief executive officer of the All England Club. 'Obviously, it's a very warm day. The first obvious point to make is that the athletes compete in temperatures like this all year on the tour,' Bolton said. 'For us Brits here at The Championships, it feels very hot.' The average daytime temperature in London in June is 71 F (21.5 C), although the government's official weather office said this spring was 'the UK's warmest and sunniest' since that's been tracked. Wimbledon, like other tennis tournaments, monitors air temperature, surface temperature and humidity for a heat-stress reading that, if it exceeds 30.1 C (about 86 F), allows for 10-minute breaks between the second and third sets of women's matches or between the third and fourth sets of men's matches. Among other precautions being taken Monday, Bolton said, were having more ice on court available for players to use to cool off, rotating ball girls and boys more frequently 'if we feel we need to,' and giving regular breaks to workers around the grounds. As for fans, Bolton said, 'we're offering the same advice as lots of the medical professionals: Come prepared. Bring a hat. Wear sunscreen. Wear light clothing if you can. Take breaks out of the sun. We've got over 100 water points around the grounds, so definitely stay hydrated. And keep an eye on your friends and others around you. If people look like they're suffering a little bit from heat stress, we've got a really significantly sized medical team here.' This is nothing compared to what athletes and spectators experience during the local summers when the Australian Open is held in Melbourne in January or the U.S. Open is held in New York in August and September, when temperatures regularly get to 90 F (32 C) and can top 100 F (38 C). A 2023 Associated Press analysis showed the average high temperatures felt during the U.S. Open and the three other major tennis tournaments steadily have gotten higher and more dangerous in recent decades, reflecting the climate change that has created record heat waves. For the players, it can inhibit them from playing their best and, worse, increase the likelihood of heat-related illness. On Monday, fans were using umbrellas to offer shade, not protection from the drizzles often seen around these parts. A year ago, because of persistent showers, it took four days — instead of the scheduled two — to complete the first round. Thinking back to the rain-filled Wimbledon of 2024, Bolton joked: 'We're not used to these sort of temperatures, but we're absolutely ready for it — and actually delighted that it's sunny and not wet, like it was last year.' ___ AP tennis:
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Scorching temperatures grip Europe, putting regions on high alert
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Forest fires fanned by high winds and hot, dry weather damaged some holiday homes in Turkey as a lingering heat wave that has cooked much of Europe led authorities to raise warnings and tourists to find ways to beat the heat on Monday. A heat dome hovered over an arc from France, Portugal and Spain to Turkey, while data from European forecasters suggested other countries were set to broil further in coming days. New highs are expected on Wednesday before rain is forecast to bring respite to some areas later this week. 'Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal,' tweeted U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres from Seville, Spain, where temperatures were expected to hit 42 Celsius (nearly 108 Fahrenheit) on Monday afternoon. Reiterating his frequent calls for action to fight climate change, Guterres added: 'The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous — no country is immune.' In France, which was almost entirely sweltering in the heatwave on Monday and where air conditioning remains relatively rare, local and national authorities were taking extra effort to care for homeless and elderly people and people working outside. Some tourists were putting off plans for some rigorous outdoor activities. 'We were going to do a bike tour today actually, but we decided because it was gonna be so warm not to do the bike tour,' said Andrea Tyson, 46, who was visiting Paris from New Philadelphia, Ohio. Authorities in Portugal issued a red heat warning for seven of 18 districts as temperatures were forecast to hit 43 degrees Celsius, a day after logging a record June temperature of 46.6 degrees C. Almost all inland areas were at high risk of wildfires. In Turkey, forest fires fanned by strong winds damaged some holiday homes in Izmir's Doganbey region and forced the temporary closure of the airport in Izmir, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Authorities evacuated four villages as a precaution, the Forestry Ministry said. In Italy, the Health Ministry put 21 cities under its level three 'red' alert, which indicates 'emergency conditions with possible negative effects' on healthy, active people as well as at-risk old people, children and chronically ill people. Regional governments in northwestern Liguria and southern Sicily in Italy put restrictions on outdoor work, such as construction and agricultural labor, during the peak heat hours. In southern Germany, temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) were expected on Monday, and they were forecast to creep higher until midweek – going as high as 39 degrees (102F) on Wednesday. Some German towns and regions imposed limits on how much water can be taken from rivers and lakes. ___ AP reporters from across Europe contributed to this report.
