Total fire ban declared for Sunday as extreme heat, strong wind tipped

High winds, extreme heat and lightning expected on Sunday have sparked a Total Fire Ban amid what has been described as a "really concerning day" for Victoria.

Firefighters battled blazes across south-east
Victoria on Saturday, including one at Grantville.CREDIT:

With emergency services already fighting fires across the state, authorities fear they may not be able to keep up if major blazes break out on Sunday.

Read the story from The Age by Nicole Precel - “Total fire ban declared for Sunday as extreme heat, strong wind tipped.”

Florence Will Drop an Inconceivable Amount of Water

On Friday, Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina. It was also downgraded to a Category 1 storm: Its high winds, while still “extremely dangerous,” are no longer the storm’s scariest trait.

A color-amplified satellite image of Hurricane
Florence, captured by NOAA satellites on September 14

But then again, they never were.

Florence’s main threat has always been the water. In the coming days, Florence will besiege the Carolinas through two different mechanisms: First, it will inundate the coastline with powerful and deadly storm surge. Second, it will drop trillions of gallons of water across the region, from the barrier islands to the Appalachians, overwhelming dozens of rivers and creeks and initiating 1,000-year floods.

Read the story by Robinson Myer from The Atlantic - “Florence Will Drop an Inconceivable Amount of Water.”

Worst fire conditions in 12 months feared for this weekend

Extreme heat and high winds forecast for this weekend could see Victoria face its worst bushfire conditions in 12 months.

Authorities are bracing for wind gusts topping 100km/h ripping across the state's parched bushland over two days that could hit 35 degrees.

“We have had hot days, and we have had windy days so far this season,” Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said. “We haven’t had hot and windy.

“It’s extremely dry. We have not experienced serious rain across the state for about 40 days. Gardens are dry, the bush is dry, grasses are dry.

Read Liam Mannix’s story from The Age - “Worst fire conditions in 12 months feared for this weekend.”