Tuesday’s forecast is horrific. As I write this on Monday evening the blue skies of this morning are gone, replaced by a smoky beige. And the wind is gusting into the 30 kt range.
Here’s the latest from the Bureau:
Fire Weather Warning
for the Far North Coast, North Coast, Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney Region, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Far South Coast, Monaro Alpine, Southern Ranges, Central Ranges, New England, Northern Slopes, North Western, Upper Central West Plains, Lower Central West Plains, Southern Slopes and Southern Riverina fire areas
Issued at 3:45 pm EDT on Monday 11 November 2019.
Weather Situation
Hot, dry and gusty winds will generate very dangerous fire conditions across large parts of the state on Tuesday.
For the rest of Monday 11 November:
Very High Fire Danger in the following fire area:
Southern Riverina
For Tuesday 12 November:
Catastrophic Fire Danger is forecast for the following fire areas:
Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney Region and Illawarra/Shoalhaven
Extreme Fire Danger is forecast for the following fire areas:
North Coast, Southern Ranges, Central Ranges, New England, Northern Slopes and North Western
Severe Fire Danger is forecast for the following fire areas:
Far North Coast, Far South Coast and Monaro Alpine
Very High Fire Danger is forecast for the following fire areas:
Upper Central West Plains, Lower Central West Plains and Southern Slopes
The NSW Rural Fire Service advises you to:
Action your Bushfire Survival Plan now.
Monitor the fire and weather situation through your local radio station, www.rfs.nsw.gov.au and www.bom.gov.au.
Call 000 (Triple Zero) in an emergency.
The Rural Fire Service advises that if you are in an area of Severe Fire Danger:
If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day
Only stay if your home is well prepared and you can actively defend it
Prepare for the emotional, mental and physical impact of defending your property – if in doubt, leave.
For information on preparing for bushfires go to www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.
The next warning will be issued by 5:00 am EDT Tuesday.
These fires are a direct consequence of the climate emergency. We no longer live in the world us older people grew up in. From now on we will face catastrophic conditions like Tuesday at an ever-increasing frequency. This is a matter of physics. This is not a thing that might happen. It is something that will happen – for the rest of our lives. And for centuries to come if humans don’t stop adding CO2, methane and other heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere.
With the terrible threat facing us, it is exactly the time to name the climate emergency for what it is.
If you haven’t seen it already, please go read this article in today’s SMH by Greg Mullins, former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner
