heat wave raises fears of devastating forest fires

Australia is suffocating and fears the worst. Particularly high temperatures, accompanied by a hot wind, were recorded on Tuesday September 19 on the eastern coast of Australia. This weather forecast worries the country which does not want to relive forest fires as devastating as during the summer of 2019-2020. In parts of New South Wales, temperatures reached up to 34°C, more than 10 degrees above the average for an austral spring. “A risk of terrible fires is expected this afternoon in the region due to strong winds”the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said in a statement on Tuesday.

Last week, smoke linked to forest fires, lit as a preventative measure by firefighters before the fire season which promises to be intense, invaded the famous harbor of Sydney, Australia’s most populous city. The spring heatwave sweeping eastern Australia follows the warmest winter on record since records began in 1910. Experts expect the fire season to be the most intense in Australia since summer 2019-2020. Since then, conditions have been unusually wet, which has helped make trees grow faster, increasing the amount of potential fuel to fuel fires.