A major weather change is coming to some of the wildfire regions in Australia. Heat and drought have turned the country into a tinderbox.
Although rainfall is not expected to stop all the fires, nor end the drought, but they are sure to bring relief for the numerous firefighters who are battling the flames. There are still more than 100 wildfires in New South Wales alone.
Rains will bring relief, but they will also unleash new risks to the burned regions, which are prone to flooding and landslides. This could also damage forest ecosystems.
Rainfall won’t be consisted, fueled by a frontal zone setting up across eastern Australia that is drawing in moist, humid air from the ocean to the southeast. It’s predicted between 1.2 and 3 inches of rainfall during the next few days across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.
However, some regions may expect even more rain than this, leading to a change in weather patterns.
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Other areas where wildfires danger is high could also see lighter rains.
According to forecast models, the heaviest rain may fall in thunderstorms which are close to the coast. This may keep the rain away from regions where wildfires are still burning. However, heaviest rains are expected on Wednesday in Victoria and New South Wales and they will also spread further northward later that week.
Sarah Scully, a meteorologist at Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, is hoping the rain will fall over areas that are currently burning and maybe even stop some of the fires. However, heavy rainfall and high winds may cause flash flooding in burnt areas in Victoria and New South Wales. These areas are very vulnerable to landslides and trees coming down caused by sudden rainfalls.
The wildfires have destroyed at least 17 million acres of land, destroyed more than 3,000 homes, killed billions of animals and at least 25 people. Thanks to the wildfires, some species are the brink of extinction.
Hopefully, the weather will bring rains and end this nightmare in Australia will be over soon so the country can start recovering.
