Heatwave to bring 45C days to NSW and Victoria with torrential rain for Queensland

Bushfires could flare back up across NSW and Victoria with an extreme heatwave expected for parts of both states on Friday, while a slow-moving low-pressure system is pushing torrential rain across Queensland.

Lightning in Roma, Queensland, heralds the arrival of
the rain in mid-January. Parts of the state’s north
 have had half a metre of rain since.

In NSW “it looks like fire danger is ramping up as we head into the weekend and Saturday will be the peak day,” according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s David Wilke.

Friday would be the peak day in Victoria, bringing high humidity, hotter conditions and winds picking up, senior forecaster Richard Carlyon said.

Temperatures were expected to increase from Wednesday in NSW, rising to the low 40s on the south coast on Saturday and 41C to 43C in the Australian Capital Territory. Western Sydney could experience temperatures of up to 45C.

Read the story from The Guardian by Else Kennedy - “Heatwave to bring 45C days to NSW and Victoria with torrential rain for Queensland.” 

More heatwaves, downpours are on way for Australia, climate report warns

As Sydney mops up from another night of torrential rain, Australians have been warned they face the prospect of sweating through more intense heatwaves, and being swamped by more frequent downpours.

Baking beneath a merciless sun, that's the
 future climate change has in store for Australia.

The worrying predictions are contained in the fifth annual biennial State of the Climate report prepared by scientists at the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology released on Thursday.

Using the latest scientific data on trends in Australian temperatures, rainfall, fire weather and ocean conditions, they discovered Australia has warmed by more than 1C since records began in 1910 as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere climb to record levels.

Read the story from The New Daily - “More heatwaves, downpours are on way for Australia, climate report warns.”

Victoria storm: keep off the roads, stay at home and prepare for flooding

Keep off the roads, stay at home and prepare for flooding. That was the message from Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, as torrential rain hit the state on Friday.

About 100mm of rain has been forecast for Melbourne between 1 and 3 December.

“With some common sense and looking out for each other, I know Victorians will get through this very difficult period,” Andrews told reporters in Melbourne, as he urged people to leave work early.

He warned Victorians not to become complacent and to check on neighbours and loved ones with more heavy falls to come on Friday night and into Saturday.

In the 24 hours up to 5pm on Friday, the state’s highest rainfall of 73mm was recorded at Arcadia, near Shepparton.

Read The Guardian story - “Victoria storm: keep off the roads, stay at home and prepare for flooding.”

Jakarta floods prove a political hot potato

Jakarta: Severe flooding is not unusual in Jakarta, a city already 40 per cent below sea level and sinking at an average of three inches a year, but rarely has it been so politicised as this past week.

Children play on flooded streets after
heavy monsoon rains in Bukit Duri,
Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday.

Torrential rain has buffeted the capital since Sunday, causing flooding at 52 locations, and claiming two lives, including a sanitation worker who was swept away while taking photos of the flooding for the Jakarta administration.

The atmosphere is already febrile in the city as two gubernatorial candidates prepare to face off in a second-round election in April.

However, despite the dramatic lead up to the February elections - during which the incumbent, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, was accused of insulting Islam - post-vote surveys revealed religion was a determining factor for only about 8-10 per cent of voters.

Read the story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Jakarta floods prove a political hot potato.”