Wildfires Spreading in Australia as Temperature Soars to Unseasonably Warm Levels

Posted: September 21, 2023 3:00 pm

While the U.S. and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere are preparing for the onset of winter, it is the opposite situation in the Southern Hemisphere. The mercury is on an upward trajectory in places such as Australia with the meteorological spring starting on a particularly hot note. Record-breaking temperatures have caused wildfires to flare, creating a dangerous situation for some parts of the Land Down Under. Here is what you need to know about this developing situation.

Hot Start to Spring Season Creates Increased Wildfire Risk

Dozens of fires are burning in the New South Wales area of Australia this week after a hot start to the spring season in this corner of the world. While the temperature is finally beginning to return to more seasonable levels, the early heat combined with dry conditions and strong winds to set off a number of fires. This dryness and high winds will continue to keep the danger of new fires starting on the table.

Weather experts are blaming the onset of the climate pattern known as El Niño for the unseasonably hot temperatures. El Niño happens when the ocean water temperatures swirling near the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean trend higher than what is average for this particular time of the year. This increase in sea surface temperatures typically ushers in warmer and drier weather patterns.

Record Heat in Sydney

The strengthening of El Niño has led to record high temperatures in Sydney, Australia for the month of September. The Sydney airport saw the mercury soar above 90 degrees for the fourth straight day on Wednesday. The typical reading for this time of September averages about 67 degrees in the large metropolitan area located in New South Wales. Meteorological spring officially started on September 1 in this part of the Southern Hemisphere, meaning that Sydney is recording these summer-like temperatures just a few weeks into the spring season.

The previous record at the Sydney airport for the month of September was 96 degrees, set on September 29, 2000. The airport hit a reading of 97 degrees on Tuesday, barely inching past this previous record.

While the unseasonably warm weather has been welcome for those wanting to hit the beaches in this part of Australia, the heat caused a number of complications for runners in the Sydney Marathon over the weekend. Over two dozen participants were sent to the hospital with various heat-related illnesses.

The excessive heat comes on the heels of what ended up being the warmest winter on the record books in Australia. The good news for those wanting a more traditional spring is that the temperatures are forecast to return to average levels in the coming days thanks to a cold front bringing cooler temperatures to Sydney and beyond.

This cold front will send daily high temperatures into the 60s and low 70s. However, heat is expected to build in the western portion of the country by next week.

Wildfires Spread Throughout New South Wales

The early start to the warm weather translated to a surge in wildfires across New South Wales. Over 70 wildfires had been confirmed by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service as of Wednesday evening. Of these 70 wildfires, only 40 had been contained. The agency said that over 1,000 firefighters and other personnel were on the scene of the blazes working to bring them under control.

Although the cooler weather is welcome news for fire crews, winds are still expected to be high through the weekend. These winds will work to spread the flames of the already existing fires.

Australians are understandably worried that this early start to the wildfire season is a sign of things to come. The wildfires of 2019 and 2020 killed dozens of people while burning through over 100 million hectares of land. In addition, over one billion animals and livestock were killed due to that record-breaking fire season.

Local officials are asking residents to be cautious when using outdoor flames as the risk of new fires remains high throughout New South Wales.

Did you find this content useful? Feel free to bookmark or to post to your timeline for reference later.

Recent Posts