‘Hot, windy, dry’ stays on horizon – BOXING DAY INFERNO, The Australian, 27 December, 2001.

`Hot, windy, dry’ stays on horizon – BOXING DAY INFERNO: [1 Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 27 Dec 2001: 2.

Abstract

THERE is no end in sight for the devastating weather pattern contributing to the destruction of millions of dollars worth of property throughout NSW. Hot, windy and dry conditions are being forecast for the weekend.

Another distinctive feature has been the concentration of heat along the coast. While Broken Hill has been relaxing in temperatures in the 20s, Christmas Eve at Evans Head reached 45C, the highest December temperature ever recorded on the north coast.

Full Text

While there may be a slight easing of conditions today and tomorrow, forecasters fear that extreme fire conditions will be back in force by the weekend.

The unusual pattern is exactly the same as that which created the firestorms of January 1994. An unseasonally strong low-pressure system south of Tasmania is generating westerly winds across a third of the continent.

While the low contributing to all the problems of the past 48 hours is expected to have moved off towards New Zealand overnight, it is likely to be replaced by another low late in the week or on the weekend.

“There is no sign at the moment of a significant break to this type of pattern,” said Don White of the consultancy firm Weatherwatch. “We need a good solid burst of rain and there is no hope of that in the foreseeable future.”

He predicts the pattern could easily last another seven to 10 days, with devastating results.

A distinctive feature of the present pattern has been the low humidity, with Christmas Day in Sydney recording only 7 per cent, one of the lowest this century.

Illustration

Photo: Diagram