Temperatures unusually high for this time of year are being recorded today in Sydney, as Australia’s most populous city faces a spring heat wave, which significantly increases the risk of wildfires.
The extremely hot and dry conditions have put authorities on high alert, with fire departments imposing a ban on open fires in the Greater Sydney area.
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Temperatures are rising, but the rainy weather continues
El Niño is affecting weather conditions
An El Niño weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, expected to be one of the strongest in recent decades, is causing hotter and drier conditions across southern Australia from September through November during the spring.
The meteorological service stated today that the temperature in the capital of New South Wales, home to 5.6 million people, is expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius, nearly 13 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average.
At Sydney Airport, the temperature was already 28.6 degrees Celsius at 11:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. Cyprus time), more than seven degrees above the average high temperature, according to forecast data.
Strong winds increase the risk of fire
“Strong to very strong northwesterly winds with gusts throughout the morning, combined with dry, unusually warm conditions for this time of year, will result in an increased risk of wildfires across the Greater Sydney region today,” the weather report stated.
State fire authorities have issued a blanket ban on lighting fires in Sydney, where the fire danger is rated “extreme,” the second-highest risk level.
Climate change is making extreme heat conditions—which increase the risk of wildfires—more common in Australia, a country of 27 million people where fires frequently break out. In January, thousands of firefighters battled wildfires in the southeast that reduced homes to ashes, caused power outages in thousands of households, and burned down forested areas.
Source: Proto Thema
