Energy grid under threat as bushfires bear down on power lines

Australia's power grid operator warns bushfires could bring down vital transmission lines and raise the likelihood of further blackouts this weekend when fire conditions are forecast to intensify.

Heatwaves and bushfires are imperilling Victoria's power grid.

Just days after fires and winds damaged power lines and forced outages for tens of thousands of households in bushfire-affected towns in the nation's south-east, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on Friday warned "severe and extreme bushfire conditions" could escalate on Saturday and threaten the grid again.

Read the story from The Age by Nick Toscano and Mike Foley - “Energy grid under threat as bushfires bear down on power lines.”

‘Sunday has been cancelled': heatwave lingers in New York City

New York: With a record-breaking heatwave intensifying over much of the US midwest and east coast through the weekend, it was a bad time for Annie McQueen's air conditioner to break down in her New York City apartment.

A person holds an umbrella for shade in Times Square.

Cities across the affected regions have opened public cooling centres, and after a sticky night in which the combined forces of a ceiling fan and a floor fan in her bedroom offered little relief, McQueen, 76, headed to one of them on Sunday at a senior centre in downtown Brooklyn.

She sat smiling near the door of the Raices Times Plaza Neighbourhood Senior Centre, beyond which the air was predicted to cook up to a high of 36.7 degrees, though it would feel more like 43.3 degrees with the humidity, according to the National Weather Service.

Inside, old Christmas decorations fluttered in the breeze near the cooling system's ceiling vents. "It feels just right," McQueen said. Lunch was three different varieties of salads.

Read the story from The Age by Jonathan Allen - “‘Sunday has been cancelled': heatwave lingers in New York City."

‘Dangerous' cyclones to soak and batter Australia's north

Twin severe tropical cyclones will hammer northern Australia over the weekend, smashing ecosystems and potentially leaving a hefty repair bill from damaging winds, storm surges and flooding.

Cyclone Veronica, off the Pilbara coast, and Cyclone Trevor
in the Gulf of Carpentaria are likely to batter large areas of
northern Australia over the weekend.

Both Cyclone Trevor in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cyclone Veronica off north-western Western Australia are likely to generate wind gusts reaching 275km/h as they near the coast, said Dean Sgarbossa, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology's extreme weather desk.

Read the story from The Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Hannam - “‘Dangerous' cyclones to soak and batter Australia's north.”

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.”

North-west Queensland hit with heavy rain, flooding after long-awaited downpour

Severe weather warnings remain in place for parts of north-west Queensland, with heavy rain and damaging winds expected to hit the region for the rest of the weekend.

Short, sharp downpours such as that experienced in north-west
Queensland cause considerable damage, frequently outweighing
the benefits. Giru cane grower inspects the damage down to his
property following the burst of rain.

There has been flooding, roads have been cut off and some graziers have endured a sleepless night with cattle stranded in high water.

Read the ABC News story - “North-west Queensland hit with heavy rain, flooding after long-awaited downpour.”

(Heavy downpours following long dry spells such as that reported on here bring smiles to the faces of many, but it has been shown that the dry, hardened ground benefits little from such short, sharp and heavy rains as the concrete-like surface is largely impervious to the resultant water, and rather than soaking in, and so providing real benefit, it simple runs off, taking much of the rich and scarce topsoil with it - Robert McLean)

Daniel Andrews lashes power companies over blackouts

Premier Daniel Andrews vowed to take energy distributors to task as the government announced a review into a major power outage that left more than 90,000 households without electricity at the peak of the state’s weekend heatwave.

Victorian Energy and Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio.

Unprecedented demand for a Sunday exposed the distributors as unprepared when fuses blew at local power substations, leaving tens of thousands without cooling on one of the hottest January nights on record.

Read the story in today’s Melbourne Age by Cole Latimer and Rachel Dexter - “Daniel Andrews lashes power companies over blackouts.”

Authorities fear deaths from extreme heat over sweltering weekend

Authorities fear Victoria's extreme heat could claim more lives this weekend, with dangerous rips expected on the state's coast and a "turning point" in the state's bushfire risk likely.

Craig Lapsley warns Victorians of extreme heat and bushfires.

On Saturday, Melbourne is expected to hit 33 degrees, before the temperature rises to 39 degrees on Sunday, with some suburbs climbing into the 40s.

Read Liam Mannix’s story from today’s Melbourne Age - “Authorities fear deaths from extreme heat over sweltering weekend.”

‘Killer combo' of heat and humidity lining up for Melbourne this weekend

Melbourne is set for an "insufferable" weekend, particularly on Sunday, as a combination of high temperatures and rising humidity lift heat stress to levels rarely seen in the city.

Temperatures in the sun could become particularly intense on Sunday.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, humid conditions will make the maximums for Friday though to Sunday feel considerably warmer than the temperatures suggest.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “‘Killer combo' of heat and humidity lining up for Melbourne this weekend."

Energy regulator says 'no concern' despite soaring temperatures this weekend

Temperatures are set to soar in the southern states this weekend, but the energy market regulator says we're unlikely to see blackouts or calls to reduce power consumption.

The regulator said blackouts were unlikely
this weekend despite the heat.

While much work has been done to create strategic reserves and to improve storage capabilities, one inescapable reason for this is luck and timing.

Weekend days tend to place less demand on the energy market as commercial and industrial activity is reduced.

It's also early January, so not all businesses are back in full swing.

Read the ABC News story by Henry Belot - “Energy regulator says 'no concern' despite soaring temperatures this weekend.”

Extreme hail, frost and rain throughout November causes severe damage for western Victorian farmers

Victoria was all set for another fantastic cropping season, until mother nature delivered a series of cruel blows and there is more to come this weekend.

This canola crop in Banyena, Victoria has been ruined by a massive hail storm.

Parts of Victoria could see a summer's worth of rainfall in the next three days.

It all started in early November when an incredible late-season frost blasted most of western Victoria.

Temperatures dipped below zero, freezing lentils and chickpeas across most of western Victoria and wheat near Ararat.

The Victorian Government is estimating the freeze caused $180 million.

Read the ABC News story by Lily Hoffman - “Extreme hail, frost and rain throughout November causes severe damage for western Victorian farmers.”

Latest on November climate marches

B

e a part of a broad and diverse coalition organising People's Climate Marches (rallies) around Australia on the weekend of 27-29 November 2015, just before world leaders gather at the UN climate talks in Paris.

Over that weekend, People's Climate Marches will take place in hundreds of major cities around the world, with the goal of creating the largest mobilisation the world has ever seen. In Australia, we want to show just how diverse, beautiful and resilient our movement is.

Read more – “The people’s climate march”.