The weather model that I use is predicting fresh NW winds and temperatures in the mid 40s for Batemans Bay tomorrow. The evacuation order is entirely justified; potentially, tomorrow could be worse than NYE.
The situation in Mallacoota in particular isnât surprising; it was only a matter of time with only one road in and out. This reality has entered my thoughts each time Iâve visited. People will seriously need to reconsider living in places like Mallacoota and Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains, among other areas.
The smoke around Melbourne is absolutely horrendous. Visibility down to maybe a kilometre at most, and just an awful stench. Canât imagine how itâs like closer to the fires
Welcome to our world. Most of eastern NSW has been copping it for a couple of months now, on and off.
At times, visibility here in Newcastle has been reduced to a couple hundred metres.
Canberra is copping it the worst at the moment; glad Iâm not down there. If you go on windy.com they actually have a prediction for air pollution (click on PM 2.5). When I checked it this morning, a broad swathe of East Gippsland centred on Orbost had the worst air pollution, by PM2.5 concentration. Easterly winds would have blown some of this into Melbourne.
For those that are unaware, PM2.5 is a measure of fine particulate matter in the air, mainly smoke and dust.
I wonder whether an indoor air purifier would help in the worst affected areas. Iâd imagine most wouldnât be able to keep up, if itâs as bad as the worst day in Sydney in mid December. I actually was seeing the haze blurring out the other end of my office building!
I think I will be buying one for next summer. Something I would have never considered before this summer, even in Sydney let alone Canberra.
Will certainly make plans to leave Australia over summer I think. Next summer is unlikely to be as bad in this part of the world as there will be simply nothing much left to burn.
Here is the tweet.
1.6mm of rain fell in Perth this morning before 9AM AWST
Surely we will get some decent rain before then.
I believe there should start to be a return to more average rainfall conditions by March.
All parkruns across Northern Tasmania cancelled this morning as the smoke from Gippsland has impacted our shores for the first time. Should clear the north west around lunchtime looking at the forecasts and while this is nothing compared to what those on the mainland have put up with, itâs the first time this season that weâve been affected by it. Usual air quality levels are around 20-30. Smithton has the 200 there which is near where the Cape Grim baseline air pollution monitoring station is.
The smoke may clear but the furnace like heat is now a permanent fixture. Either way, it wonât be pleasant. There may be a few cooler and wetter summers like 2011/12; maybe once or twice a decade.
Tassie isnât immune either; remember Hobart was covered in smoke for weeks last summer as the Huon and SW burned.
Canberra has just hit 42.0 around 12 minutes ago.
Another 0.3 degrees higher and today will officially be the hottest day in recorded history for Canberra
Conditions âmay not be survivableâ:
Two people dead on Kangaroo Island:
Massive blaze threatens Sydneyâs west:
It has hit 42.2 as of 1:17pm, which means itâs now the equal-hottest day on record.
Penrith has just recorded its hottest day on record with 47.6°C as of 1:20pm. It beat the previous record of 47.3°C, set just 2 years ago.
UPDATE: Canberra has officially recorded its hottest day ever, having reached 42.4°C as of 1:26pm.
UPDATE #2: As of 1:30pm, Penrith has reached 47.8°C, equalling an all-time high record set in Sydney Basin, which occurred at Richmond in January 1939.
PM deploys 3000 troops to battle bushfire crisis: History made as PM calls in the army:
ADF reserves called up, fires at emergency level, more helicoptres and ships dispatched
Penrith has surpassed an equal all-time high for Sydney Basin, having reached a top of 48.2°C as of 2:02pm.
Still sky rocketing - up to 43.1 at 1:56pm, well and truly smashing the previous record.
Also, noticed that Sydneyâs forecast for today was 35 and it has only hit 35 at the Observatory Hill station, but, the majority of Sydney (including the Sydney Airport) is at or above 43 degrees.
Does anyone else think it seems a bit dodgy to report the maximum temperature for âSydneyâ as the temperature at one specific weather station, when all the rest of them are well above that value?