EXTREME WEATHER: Victoria Set To Face Some Of Its Worst Fire Conditions Ever - Temperatures Above 40C!

January 02, 2013 - AUSTRALIA - Victoria is set to experience some of its worst fire conditions since Black Saturday, with most of the state expecting temperatures above 40C on Friday, as well as fresh northerly winds. 

Victoria is set to experience some of its worst fire conditions since Black Saturday, officials say. AAP.

In Victoria's northwest, Mildura is tipped to have six days in a row above 40C.  Country Fire Authority (CFA) state duty officer Brett Boatman says abundant growth in the dry grasslands and drying forests mean there will be a very high fire danger.  He said conditions will be extreme in the southwest and very high in other areas.  "It is certainly one of the higher fire danger days I have seen since Black Saturday, no doubt," Mr Boatman told AAP.  "We have had a couple of quiet fire seasons and reasonably damp summer last year, a good winter, abundant growth, especially in the grasslands. 

"There is a lot of fuel out there. So then you add that into the hot, dry weather we are experiencing at the moment; that brings together all the elements that bring about severe and extreme fire conditions."  Mr Boatman said it was likely there would be total fire bans but he does not expect a code red day to be declared.  He said with a lot of people on holidays it was important they understand the conditions in the area they are in.  Melbourne is tipped to reach 39C on Friday, with Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Dean Stewart predicting many suburbs would likely hit 40C.  He said while Melbourne would have cooler weather on Saturday and Sunday, the change would not have any impact north of the Great Dividing Range.  Mildura's six-day hot spell will begin on Thursday and peak with a 45C day on Tuesday.  In the state's northeast Yarrawonga is expected to have five days above 40C. - Herald Sun.

THE GREAT DELUGE: The Australia Weather Anomalies Continue - Unstoppable and Unusual Heavy Rains as Floodwaters Inch Closer to the Top of the Warragamba Dam; Worst Floods in New South Wales in 125 Years!

Floodwaters are inching closer to the top of Warragamba Dam, while across the state thousands are being forced to evacuate their homes. More than 1,000 people are preparing to leave their homes in New South Wales as floods threaten at least half of Australia’s most populous state and as a dam that supplies Sydney’s water threatens to spill. According to the Associated Press, New South Wales is facing its heaviest deluge in decades. The State Emergency Service says the widespread rain has led to a most extraordinary and unusual flood situation with 75 per cent of the state facing flood warnings. Four communities in southern New South Wales have broken century old rainfall records. A number of towns from Cooma in the Snowy Mountains to Bathurst in the central tablelands are on flood alert, and 1500 people across the state have been ordered to evacuate. Rain has eased slightly today but the Bureau of Meteorology predicts intense falls of up to 100 millimetres across the state, further worsening flood affected areas.

After days of anticipation Warragamba Dam has finally reached 100 per capacity and water is spilling over the wall. Just before 7pm (AEDT) today, water began gushing down a 100m spillway into a pond below. The pond acts as an energy dissipater, slowing the water before it flows down the Warragamba River to join the Hawkesbury-Nepean system... The news comes after a downpour that put the state on high alert, with three-quarters of NSW at risk of flood. Tumut in southern NSW might again be the focus of flood concerns tomorrow as the wandering band of torrential rain which has soaked much of NSW shifts south. "It could be a hot spot tomorrow - they are expecting a lot of rain again as the rain band drifts south,'' State Emergency Services spokesman Phil Campbell told thetelegraph.com.au this afternoon... Mr Campbell said Warragamba Dam was at 98.7 per cent capacity this afternoon and was set to spill over possibly tonight or tomorrow. "There's been a bit of flooding in western Sydney but it's the very low laying areas, we've had a few animal rescues but the roads and bridges are OK at the moment,'' he said. "That could change tonight or tomorrow. The rain band is expected to shift to put more rain over the catchment for Warragamba so that would increase the chance of flooding in that north western Sydney fringe.''

The dense, slow-moving rain band is lingering a little longer then expected as it moves up and down NSW, said BoM forecaster Julie Evans. After millions of litres of rainwater poured from swollen rivers into Warragamba Dam yesterday, parents in Sydney's western fringes were advised to keep children home from school today amid fears the area will be flooded when the dam spills over. From 10mm and 30mm fell over the Sydney catchment overnight, with 50mm predicted to fall over coming days, she said."We've got 75 per cent of NSW either in flood or potentially in flood," he added. The SES yesterday made evacuation orders for Cooma, affecting about 900 people, at Goulburn for about 600 people and at Cowra for about 60. Seven river systems - the Murray, Hawkesbury-Nepean, Lachlan, Queanbeyan and Molonglo, Tumut and Murrumbidgee, Bega and Snowy - are under flood warning. Weather Channel meteorologist Tom Saunders said a pattern of abnormal sea surface temperatures and a record warm Indian Ocean was behind the massive rainfall, setting up a soaked autumn. "As the current La Nina weakens it was initially expected our rainfall patterns would return to normal by the middle of autumn," he said. "However, a new pattern of abnormal sea surface temperatures has developed to our west with a record warm Indian Ocean. "Australia is surrounded by very warm ocean temperatures. The Indian Ocean has been steaming over 3C higher than normal during the past few months ... the warmer seas have increased evaporation which has allowed the atmosphere over Australia to become saturated with moisture - the perfect recipe for heavy rain and flooding. "The heavy rains should continue through autumn." - Weekly Times Now.

WATCH: Unstoppable rains in New South Wales.

GREAT DELUGE: The Australian Weather Anomalies Continue - Record Flooding Rain Spreading Into New South Wales; the Heaviest Rains in More Than 80 Years!

A massive area of tropical cloud is stretching right down into parts of New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria with thunderstorms also lined up across the system. This cloud band is generating massive rainfall totals with numerous severe weather warnings also triggered for the region. Flooding is a concern for the region.

Heavy rain that flooded parts of Victoria and South Australia during the past few days is now spreading into southern NSW, prompting numerous flood watches. During the past 24 hours, central and northern parts of Victoria were drenched with 50 to 100mm of rain, leading to flash flooding, Weatherzone meteorologist Josh Fisher says. The largest totals fell on and north of the Great Dividing Range, where some areas even gained more than 100mm. Yarrawonga was flooded with 120mm of rain during 24 hours yesterday, which was its heaviest daily total in more than a decade. Castlemaine gained 98mm of rain in the same period, which was its heaviest since the floods of last February, when 101mm fell in 24 hours. The trigger for the heavy rain and storm activity is a slow-moving low pressure trough, which is funnelling massive amounts of moisture across the country. This moisture is being drawn off the very warm waters that are surrounding the nation. The trough is slowly pushing further north, which has allowed rain to temporarily ease over Victoria. The severe weather warning for flash flooding has been cancelled for the state, but residents are urged to take caution near floodwaters and swollen rivers. New South Wales will now bear the brunt of the rain as the trough stalls over the state. Prolonged heavy rain will affect southern, central and western parts of the state from today through to the weekend. As a result, a severe weather warning for flash flooding is in place for people in the upper western, ACT, Riverina, lower western, central west slopes & plains, south west slopes, Snowy Mountains and southern tablelands. For these districts, daily rainfall totals are likely to range between 50 and 100mm with some areas expected to receive more than 200mm before this rain event tapers off early next week. - The Land.

Evacuations are underway in one town and emergency crews are standing by in three others as large parts of New South Wales continue to be deluged with the heaviest rains in more than 80 years.

Seventy residents have been forced from homes on 19 properties at Cowra in the state's central west, with rising flood waters threatening to leave them stranded, the State Emergency Service says. Evacuation warnings are current for Cooma in the Snowy Mountains, with up to 300 people at risk, and parts of the southern tablelands township of Goulburn, where the Wollondilly Creek is threatening to burst its banks. Orders are also in place at Captains Flat south of Queanbeyan, while crews are keeping an eye on the swollen Murrumbidgee River at Cootamundra in the Riverina, an SES spokesman says. Sydney's Warragamba Dam is also on the verge of overflowing for the first time in more than a decade. Sydney Catchment Authority acting chief executive Sarah Dinning says preparations are being made to release excess water, with floodgates to be tested tomorrow morning. "Due to the variable weather conditions, we have staff available around the clock and the test will occur as soon as the dam reaches one metre below full storage," she said. "Once Warragamba Dam is 80mm above its full storage level the drum gate opens automatically." Heavy falls are expected to continue until at least the weekend, throwing transport into chaos across NSW and stretching emergency crews. A number of highways have been cut off with previously drought-stricken areas swamped with rain. The Illawarra Highway south of Sydney was closed today while the Barrier Highway in the state's far west was also cut off, stranding travellers between Broken Hill and the South Australian border as the mining town received its heaviest downpour in 12 years. Longer standing rain records were also broken, with Coolamon in the Riverina bucketed with 123mm in 24 hours, marking the wettest day since 1925. Nearby Grong Grong recorded 111mm, the wettest day since 1928. SES crews remain on standby to evacuate residents at Cooma if flash flooding occurs. - Herald Sun.

WATCH: Australian weather update.

WATCH: Stormy summer - Cooma residents have been told to prepare to evacuate and Goulburn is expecting flash flooding, while the Warragamba dam water level is expected to rise to breaking point.