Australian Weather

[BornFromTheVoid]

I shouldn't think it is too exciting for the people whose homes and businesses could burn down or have already done so.

Ah, don't start at that. Whatever will happen will happen.

Let the guy enjoy the excitement of record breaking weather!

[TAFKAP]

Ah, don't start at that. Whatever will happen will happen.

Let the guy enjoy the excitement of record breaking weather!

I'm only saying it because bushfires in Australia are an incredibly destructive and deadly phenomena. If I were living in Australia I'd be praying for rain and cool temperatures.

[Styx]

I'm only saying it because bushfires in Australia are an incredibly destructive and deadly phenomena. If I were living in Australia I'd be praying for rain and cool temperatures.

By no means was I revelling in the bushfire threat. That would be a tad creepy. When I posted, no homes to my knowledge had been destroyed. That unfortuently changed late yesterday and overnight. But no deaths have been confirmed. This obviously is something that everyone should be thankful for. After the Victorian fires of 2009, there is far more vigilance and preparedness than ever before. I also remember as a child being prepared to evacuate with the family when a fire moved into the Hobart suburb in which we were living at the time - I appreciate the urgency and the threat of events like these.

ABC news is reporting the loss of close to, or perhaps more, than 100 homes south east of Hobart.

http://www.abc.net.a...asmania/4453532

Some amazing stories of flotillas of recreational boats and fisherman rescuing hundreds of people stranded on beaches, and bringing them to Hobart throughout the night. The city sky is a brown haze under a blue sky this morning, but it is much cooler (low 20's) after dropping from an unprecedented 31 at midnight to 17.5 at twilight following a gentle, cool southerly change. The forecast is moderate for the rest of the week...temperatures from 22 to 29 ( January average is 22 ).

So yes, the temperature watch yesterday was absolutley intriguing.

The record was absolutley smashed - rising to 41.8 after I had logged out for the day.

Hobart's only 40+ days on record

( Since 1881 )

41.8 on Jan 4 2013

40.8 on Jan 4 1976

40.6 on Dec 30 1897

40.6 on Jan 9 1900

40.6 on Jan 19 1959

40.4 on Jan 25 1973

40.1 on Feb 12 1899

Edited January 5, 2013 by Styx

[Styx]

My brother has had to evacuate his house and work in Adelaide due to a catastrophic fire warning. That doesn't sound too good.

I hope your brother managed to avoid any losses.

Australia has a national bushfire danger alert system. Particular warnings are given to different districts and released by the BOM, the media and fire authorities; it is based on forecast conditions, how prone the area is to fire, and soil index reading ( how dry the ground is ).

[snowy owl]

My family in North Eastern Australia have reported many thunderstorm warnings very recently and consequent bushfires. My Cousin had volunteered to help fight the fires. The fire nearest to them had thick brown smoke all around their area, very scary stuff.

Hope you are all enjoying a lot cooler weather and no fires.

[Styx]

The intense heat is pushing more extensively into Queensland and New South Wales now.

In Tasmania, the bushfires appear to be either contained, or at least predictable in movement, oweing to the milder weather.

The fires are 40 miles or so from Hobart, but the smoke plumes are visible from the city - and dramatic.

The live webcam image in my signature link will be showing a smoke haze over Hobart for some time I would imagine.

The billowing smoke is creating towering cumulous clouds, with lightning. View from Hobart.

Reader submitted to The Mercury newspaper

The view from Hobart hills last night. Reader submitted to The Mercury newspaper

www.themercury.com.au

The view of Hobart moments ago, Sunday afternoon. Rose Bay High school webcam ( link below )

Edited January 6, 2013 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

Sad to hear about the homes being lost to bushfires in Tasmania. Very impressive heat though for Tasmania, and close to the state record.

Hay, in the Riverina district of NSW, reached 47.7ºC yesterday which is its hottest day in 132 years of records. Wilcannia (Upper Western district of NSW) reached 47.5ºC yesterday, a bit shy of its all-time 48.2ºC record. Tibooburra (Upper Western NSW) yesterday got to 47.0ºC, not quite beating the all-time record of 47.6ºC. The NSW state record is 49.7ºC at Menindee (Lower Western) on Jan 10th 1939.

The heat is expected to persist all week west of the Great Dividing Range, and filtering across to the east coast on several days.

Tibooburra's current max temp forecast for today and the next six days: 45 / 43 / 43 / 43 / 41 / 45 / 47 (toasty!)

~~~~~~

Summary here over the past week (Date/Min/Max/MaxWindGustDirectionSpeed&Time/24hrRainfall):

Dec 30th - 19.2ºC/26.8ºC - SW 30km/h @ 7:30am - Nil

Dec 31st - 19.0ºC/27.2ºC - NNE 46km/h @ 5:36pm - Nil

Jan 1st - 21.1ºC/32.1ºC - NE 48km/h @ 1:53pm - Nil

Jan 2nd - 19.8ºC/28.5ºC - S 41km/h @ 6:52pm - Nil

Jan 3rd - 20.0ºC/25.0ºC - S 24km/h @ 11:19pm - Nil

Jan 4th - 17.2ºC/26.5ºC - ENE 35km/h @ 2:52pm - Nil

Jan 5th - 18.6ºC/28.2ºC - NE 39km/h @ 1:50pm - Nil

Past week:

Generally warm week, with no recordable rain. There was a very brief shower on the morning of the 3rd, but not enough to register.

Midday webcam images for the week at Bonny Hills and favourite image of the week (I assume it was the fireworks display for the kids going off at 9:56pm in the last picture):

This week (Jan 6th to Jan 12th):

A high in the Tasman will continue to bring fine weather here through today, tomorrow and Tuesday. A trough and associated southerly change is expected to move through during Wednesday. A light shower or two may develop late Wednesday night, and possibly continue into Thursday. Fine weather is expected to return for Friday and Saturday. The warmest days here this week are expected to be Tuesday, Wednesday (though an earlier-than-forecast southerly could spoil the party), and Saturday.

The current max temp forecast here for today and the next six days: 27 / 27 / 34 / 33 / 25 / 31 / 35

Edited January 6, 2013 by NorthNSW

[Styx]

^ So still dry in the subtropics when it really shouldn't be. I wonder when it is going to break? And how intense the break to regular storm activity will be? Not even an El Nino classified period. Very odd.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

^ So still dry in the subtropics when it really shouldn't be. I wonder when it is going to break? And how intense the break to regular storm activity will be? Not even an El Nino classified period. Very odd.

Yep still fairly dry. January is one of our wetter months on average, but January rainfall year-to-year here can be somewhat variable, compared to the more reliable Feb-Mar-Apr period. Record low January rainfall here is 15.0mm, though anything below 50mm would be classed as very dry for January. It's been rather dry since July, despite a wetter than normal November. Hopefully the late summer / autumn rains don't fail. The quick transition from wet/flooding rains through the past couple of years to the dry weather of recent has been amazing.

~~~~

Going to be a nervous day for most areas of the state, especially those surrounded by or adjoining bushland.

NSW faces 'worst ever' fire danger day

A total state-wide fire ban will be imposed in New South Wales from midnight as authorities prepare for temperatures to soar above 40 degrees. The fire danger in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and southern ranges is expected to be catastrophic, with many other areas expecting extreme danger levels.

Premier Barry O'Farrell says record rains have produced large fuel loads which increase the risk of fire, combined with record temperatures and high winds. "Tomorrow is not going to be just another ordinary day," he said. "Tomorrow will be perhaps the worst fire danger day this state has ever faced."

More than 90 fires are burning across the state; around 20 of those are not under control, including a large grassfire at Oura near Wagga Wagga. A firefighter, meanwhile, has been flown to Canberra Hospital in a stable condition after he was burned while battling a blaze near Gunning, north of Canberra.

Mr O'Farrell has warned Sydneysiders they will not be spared from the heat tomorrow. "If Sydney reaches 43 tomorrow, it will only be the third time in the history of record keeping that the temperature in Sydney has been that high," he said. The Premier says people must have their bushfire survival plans in place, as complacency could cost lives.

Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says people should be alert to any danger. "They need to monitor their local conditions," he said. "They need to listen to radio, they need to watch TV, they need to refer to the website, they need to access social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, do not rely on one source for all your information."

Thousands of firefighters and about 70 aircraft have been placed on standby across the state. The Commissioner says people camping and holidaying on the state's south coast, especially around Nowra, should re-think their plans tonight before the catastrophic conditions take hold. "They are the sorts of decisions that should be made, to cut that trip early this evening or, at the latest, pack up and be out on the road first thing tomorrow morning," he said.

The NSW Ambulance Service is warning people to take care during tomorrow's predicted heatwave. Acting Chief Superintendent Ian Johns says the heat will be particularly bad for the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. He says everyone should plan to drink plenty of water. "The paramedics tomorrow will be ensuring that their vehicles have plenty of intravenous fluid, also plenty of bottled water too," he said. "But whilst we can come to you once you're ill, the plan and the message is prepare yourself so you don't require our services. "Drink water and plan your day's activities."

Health Department spokesman Dr Richard Broome says it is important to postpone any unnecessary activities. "Hot weather and heat puts a great deal of strain on the body," he said. "In order to keep cool we have to pump blood to the skin, and people who are old or have chronic diseases, their heart might not work quite so well and the strain can precipitate illness like heart attacks."

http://www.abc.net.a...ger-day/4455368

National Parks and State Forests will be closed statewide tomorrow too, not only to avoid having people in these highly fire prone areas but also to lower the risk of arson.

The coastal fringe here on the North Coast will be spared the worst of the heat. Current forecasts have us reaching a 34ºC max tomorrow, followed by 37ºC on Wednesday (cooler southerly change due around 12noon-1pm on Wednesday).

Edited January 7, 2013 by NorthNSW

[AWD]

Just had a brief mention on the BBC news of the Australian temperatures.

43c max expected today before an easterly wind sets in sending temperatures back down quite dramatically to 23c.

[Styx]

Just had a brief mention on the BBC news of the Australian temperatures.

43c max expected today before an easterly wind sets in sending temperatures back down quite dramatically to 23c.

Disastrous conditions unfolding in southern NSW ( Tuesday ), as extreme heat is dragged to the southern NSW coast ahead of a marked cool change which is pushing up thru Tasmania and Victoria today. Hobart temperature will be in freefall tonight.

Sydney is 37 degrees at midday. Expected maximum 43. 2.3 degrees more than that, and they join Hobart this month in recording an all time high maximum temperature.

Media is classifying the weather setup as a national heatwave - but this is strictly only true for the inland areas ( rural and desert Australia ). Having said this, the extent of heat is unprecedented.

The major cities are much warmer than average, but the extreme heat has been sporadic rather than prolonged.

Australia's “exceptional†heatwave has produced record-breaking temperatures, with at least six of the first seven days of 2013 among the top 20 hottest days in the past century.

Data for Monday is still be analysed by the weather bureau, but it may be the hottest of the series and could generate a record average maximum beyond the 40.17 degrees reached on December 21, 1972.

Such a result would make it six days in a row when the national average has been above 39 degrees; tomorrow is expected to make it seven. Prior to this series, the longest run of 39 degrees or more was four days, in 1973.

“This event is ongoing with significant records likely to be set,†the bureau statement said. “A particular feature of this heatwave event has been the exceptional spatial extent of high temperatures.â€

The final four months of 2012 were the hottest on record for Australia and January is making an early run at adding to the sequence of especially hot weather.

“Australia-wide, and for individual states, we are currently well above average by many degrees,†said Aaron Coutts-Smith, the bureau's NSW manager for climate services.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.a...l#ixzz2HL9aBBnC

JANUARY TEMPERATURES IN THE MAJOR CENTRES

1st to the 7th in bold, 8th to 14th forecast maximums

HOBART - January average 22

22,24,34,42,25,26,28,25,16,25,28,23,22,23

MELBOURNE - January average 26

25,22,37,41,26,26,30,31,20,28,37,25,26,24

SYDNEY - January average 26

26,25,25,27,28,28,27,43,25,25,29,32,25,24

ADELAIDE - January average 29

31,32,41,45,32,35,38,31,26,34,35,29,33,30

PERTH - January average 30

31,29,27,26,37,35,38,40,30,30,31,32,29,30

CANBERRA - January average 28

33,31,32,37,40,38,36,38,29,30,36,37,29,30

BRISBANE - January average 30

30,35,31,30,29,29,31,32,37,33,33,35,35,35

Hobart record high daily maximum

Adelaide 0.7 degrees shy of record

Canberra 1.3 degrees shy of record

Edited January 8, 2013 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

Sydney (Observatory Hill) reached a maximum of 42.3ºC today at 2:03pm, which makes it Sydney's fifth hottest day on record. The hottest location east of the ranges today was in the Illawarra at Albion Park (near Wollongong) reaching 43.1ºC at 1:44pm. From Newcastle to the Victorian border, there were widespread maximums of 40-42ºC. Relative humidity fell to, and still is in many places north of the southerly change, the 10-20% range, with several places dipping into single figures.

There are about 130-140 fires across the state, with most of these fires from lightning or ignited accidently (e.g. failed machinery sparking). About 12-15 fires are of some level of concern, especially one burning in the Shoalhaven area near Nowra and Sussex Inlet.

No lives or houses have been lost yet from the fires in the state, but some property, like sheds etc., have been lost.

The statewide total fire ban has been extended into tomorrow. The Northern areas of NSW will experience the heat tomorrow, with widespread severe fire danger expected. Here on the coastal fringe of the North Coast we are expected to get to 37ºC before a southerly change (which is due here around lunchtime). Areas along the north coast away from that coastal fringe are expected creep into the forties. Grafton is expected to be a hotspot on the north coast reaching 42ºC tomorrow.

Edited January 8, 2013 by NorthNSW

[NUT]

Apparently there's a chance of 50ºC Being breached somewhere in australia next week! That's astounding if it comes off

[Summer Sun]

Australia's all-time record temperature is 50.7C, set in January 1960 at Oodnadatta in the state of South Australia.

Next week temperatures could hit 54c 129.2f somewhere in the central area

The nation as a whole experienced its hottest day on record on Monday with the average maximum temperature across the country hitting 40.33C, surpassing the previous mark of 40.17C set in 1972.

The central part of Australia is expected to see temperatures soar above 50c 122f on Monday

Edited January 8, 2013 by Gavin.

[Upgrade]

Last Friday was incredibly hot in Melbourne , over 41 degrees - with a northerly near gale behind it - certainly different! You can't go out in it for more than about 15 mins without feeling rather unwell. Fortunately those days are rare here. Rather frighteningly hot though.

Very glad of the cool change which came through last night, sunny, cool and blustery now, around 17 degrees this afternoon - gorgeous!

I was looking forward to heat and sunshine when i moved here, suffice to say i now realise that there is such a thing as too much heat & sunshine. Walking around last Saturday it was sad to see possums and birds that had literally fallen out of the trees dead due to the heat - really shocking.

So pleased it's changed back for now - although supposed to be 37 degrees again on Thursday - Got to love Melbourne weather! Temperatures are all over the place and we can be up near 40 degrees, back to 20 and then back up and down again all within a week.

If you're new from the UK like me, it is rather peculiar, though very interesting.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Upgrade

[Styx]

Yes the cool change is bliss - 15 degrees in Hobart presently ( 1pm ) and breezy, but no local rainfall with this front. Sydney was 35 degrees at midnight before the change moved thru there in the early hours of today. Hundreds of people were apparently at Bondi beach throughout the night, but authorities were warning people to stay in the shallow end of the sea to avoid potential shark attacks.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

There was a statewide fire ban in NSW yesterday, which has been extended into today. Fire danger not as high as a couple of days ago though, mainly due to lighter winds. Penrith (in western Sydney) is forecast to reach 45ºC today. The record high in Penrith weather station's relatively short history (opened in 1995) is 46.0ºC on January 15th 2001. Richmond RAAF (in northwestern Sydney) is a comparable site to Penrith, which recorded between 1928 and 1994. It's record high is 47.8ºC on January 14th 1939. Had the Penrith weather station been operating back then, I imagine it's all-time record be very similar to Richmond's.

Bourke and Tibooburra (Upper Western district) are expected to be hottest with a forecast top of 47ºC.

This picture has been doing the rounds, gave me a bit of a chuckle:

Edited January 11, 2013 by NorthNSW

[Crepuscular Ray]

Glad all of you are OK.

The west of the country doesn't seem to be doing any better - although for different reasons.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/sand-ahoy-captain-vast-dust-storm-hits-western-australia-ahead-of-cyclone-8447912.html

[Styx]

Heatwave update

It was reported yesterday that the nationwide average maximum temperature for January stands at 39.3 degrees this year which is 4C above the long term average. With a similar setup forecast for the next 7-10 days, it does appear that this will easily be a record hot month for Australia no matter what happens towards month end.

I think it is worth pointing out that the intense heat is almost exclusively concentrated inland. While the coastal cities are on the periphery of this intense heat dome and all except Perth are having a much warmer than average January so far, all the capital cities have had much longer periods of very high temperatures in the past. What makes this event particularly media worthy IMO is the shock value of the number of bushfires burning across the country, which are being exacerbated by the ultra dry weather of late, and only the occasional very high temperature on the coast ( where 80% of the population live! )

I notice that some international ( and local ) media outlets are then at the same time reporting temperatures are reaching the mid to high 40s and giving a false impression that these sorts of temperatures are either uniform or signs of things to come.

Of the 8 capital and territory capital cities - Canberra and Hobart IMO are the only ones on track to record their hottest months on record in terms of average maximum if the trend continues. Canberra is 6 above average (!) and Hobart +5.

Sydney is +2, Melbourne +3, Brisbane +1, Adelaide +4, Darwin +2, Perth 0.

( Apologies for rounding ).

Average minimas are much closer to long terms norms.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Styx

[Upgrade]

Indeed. We've had one or two very hot days but typically for Melbourne (and thankfully ) it changes and breaks down quickly from the south. Note that change or breakdown does not necessarily mean any rain or less sun in this context - another strange experience!

On Friday it got up to 39+ degrees C then the change came through and dropped us to 24. Saturday was 23 and today Sunday it's struggled to get above 18 degrees most of the afternoon - i think it just made the forecasted 20 in the end , however it has been overcast today.

to the casual observer of news, it is made to sound like the cities have had constant 40 degree heat . Mind you, one or two days in a row is enough....

Next Thursday looking to be our next scorcher here in Melbourne. Possibly 43-44 degrees. No doubt will be followed by another 20 degree drop in temperature in an afternoon..... seriously , Melbourne must have one of the oddest climates in the world

Edited January 13, 2013 by Upgrade

[NorthNSW]

Bit late with the weekly update woops.

Summary here over the past week (Date/Min/Max/MaxWindGustDirectionSpeed&Time/24hrRainfall):

Jan 6th - 19.0ºC/27.3ºC - E 30km/h @ 12:30pm - Nil

Jan 7th - 19.1ºC/27.5ºC - ESE 26km/h @ 12:15pm - Nil

Jan 8th - 18.1ºC/33.9ºC - NNE 63km/h @ 1:48pm - Nil

Jan 9th - 21.1ºC/37.7ºC - NNE 59km/h @ 2:34pm - Nil

Jan 10th - 20.9ºC/27.8ºC - S 39km/h @ 11:21pm - Nil

Jan 11th - 20.7ºC/32.8ºC - NNE 67km/h @ 2:56pm - Nil

Jan 12th - 24.6ºC/35.0ºC - NE 52km/h @ 11:54am - Nil

Past week:

A sultry, warm to hot, and predominately mostly sunny week. An area of showers and storms formed in the afternoon of the 9th on the southerly change, but stayed to the inland. We did manage a couple of splats on the roof, but nothing recordable. Early morning mist the next day, but once again nothing recordable. Storms developed over the inland on the 12th, but fine conditions prevailed on the coast.

This week (Jan 13th to Jan 19th):

Yesterday was a warm day, which began as a sunny day. A squall line develop across inland parts of northern NSW along a trough, with wind gusts of 128km/h at Narrabri and 126km/h at Tamworth. The squall line weakened as it moved over the ranges, but some thunderstorms continued onto the coast. We only got a few nearby flashes in a weak storm here (and our first recordable rain of 2013 with 2mm falling), but the storm to the SW nearer to Kempsey was producing an amazing amount of lightning. Simply a stunning display of lightning in that storm about 10 mins down the road, and pretty much constantly flashing.

Radar and Cloud-to-Ground (CG) lightning over a one hour period yesterday evening:

Today has been quite cool and overcast with drizzly periods and brief light showers.

Any remaining drizzle should clear by morning tomorrow, as an area of high pressure moves into the northern Tasman Sea. The high will help channel hot air over NSW again from Thursday as a trough approaches and moves into the state, areas along the coastal fringe should be spared from the heat. The trough will move into northern NSW on Saturday, with the slight chance of a shower that night (at this stage).

Forecast maximums for remainder of this week (next 5 days):

25 / 28 / 30 / 33 / 32

Edited January 14, 2013 by NorthNSW

[NorthNSW]

A bad bushfire burning in the northern inland of NSW at present. The Coonabarabran area is expected to get into the mid to high 30s from Wednesday to Saturday:

Dangerous fire damages top observatory and destroyed 33 houses west of Coonabarabran

Nathan Klein - The Daily Telegraph - January 14, 2013 - 2:28PM

(http://www.news.com.au/national/dangerous-fire-damages-top-observatory-and-destoyed-12-houses-west-of-coonabarabran/story-fndo4bst-1226553128275)

MORE than 30 homes have now been destroyed by a bushfire that is still raging out of control in the state's north. The bushfire has burnt through 40,000 hectares and has a perimeter of more than 100 kilometres. The Rural Fire Service (RFS) said in a tweet that "33 homes and 50+ sheds now confirmed as lost in the Wambelong Fire near Coonabarabran". One building at the Siding Spring Observatory had also been destroyed, but the main telescope has survived.

"This is a large and dangerous bushfire,'' the RFS said on its website on Monday morning. "The fire is burning in a northerly direction away from Timor Road and the Siding Spring Observatory and is currently approximately 1km south of Bugaldie.'' More than 65 firefighters and 17 trucks were on site in the early hours, with more expected to arrive throughout the day. Meanwhile, more than than 110 people have been evacuated to Tattersalls Hotel at nearby Baradine, as the RFS warns people not to return home.

RFS spokeswoman Laura Ryansaid aerial photographs taken of the Siding Spring Observatory at first light on Monday showed the main telescope had survived; however, it was not yet known if it had been damaged. The pictures show the charred remains of bush surrounding the observatory and one of the buildings on the site had been completely destroyed.

Eighteen staff from the observatory were evacuated on Sunday to nearby Coonabarabran, and a watch and act remains in place for the fire, which has burned through more than 32,000 hectares of bush, scrub and grass. Springs Observatory, is our top research observatory and home to the SkyMapper telescope was damaged by an out-of-control bushfire yesterday.

RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said the fire moved through the park at "phenomenal speed'' on Sunday and was one of "the most frightening fires I think we have had all summer''. "The smoke plume extended to 14 kilometres,'' he said. "The fire ... was of such magnitude that there was no way of knowing that anything was going to stop that fire.'' He said it moved rapidly with ember showers sparking fires five kilometres ahead. "To have firefighters trying to battle that blaze would have literally been a suicide mission.''

The emergency at Wambelong Camping Area has seen Mt Woorut residents and staff from the Siding Spring Observatory in Warrumbungle National Park evacuated to nearby Coonabarabran. Firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze were being hampered by strong south-westerly winds in the area, an RFS spokesman told AAP on Sunday night.

"The wind conditions that are being experienced there are creating erratic fire behaviour for crews on the ground," the spokesman said.

Fire crews will assess the two properties destroyed on Timor Rd and the observatory damage on Monday morning, he said. There are hopes that telescopes in the Siding Spring Observatory - the nation's top optical and infrared observatory - will survive the inferno thanks to a range of precautions including the use of special paint. Dr Amanda Bauer, who works at the observatory, said she was "hopeful" the telescopes would survive the bushfire. "Tomorrow we will see how well those protections held," she wrote on her blog on Sunday evening.

However, Nobel Prize-winning Professor Brian Schmidt, who also works at the observatory, said initial reports indicated the fire had caused a lot of damage. "Fires are worse than I had feared ... bad day tomorrow," he wrote on Twitter.

The other emergency fire burning out of control on Sunday evening was centred on Bundabarina, about 10 kilometres west of Collarenabri on the Walgett Road. Collarenabri residents have been advised to seek shelter and follow their bushfire survival plans, the RFS said. Firefighters have issued watch and act warnings for two other fires. These are at Nangar Road in Eugowra, in the state's central west, and Rocky Glen Road in Bendemeer, in the New England area.

Meanwhile, a cool change has brought relief to RFS officers fighting fires in other areas. More than 190 firefighters were working to contain a blaze 12km west of Sussex Inlet, near Shoalhaven on the south coast. The fire has burnt more than 8400 hectares but there is no immediate threat to properties.

At Yarrabin, near Cooma, in the Snowy Mountains, more than 100 firefighters continue to establish containment lines and extinguish spot fires, with no threat to properties.

The fire has burnt through more than 12,000 hectares of bushland and is moving away from Cooma to the east. Residents returning to properties have been warned to be aware of falling trees and branches, particularly in the Mt Forest Road area.

In the southern tablelands, more than 70 firefighters are working on containment lines around a fire near Yass. The blaze has been contained.

In the state's north about 20 fires are burning uncontained after lightning storms on Saturday night ignited 45 new fires. So far the fires have scorched more than 500,000 hectares of bush, scrub and grass - - the equivalent of the entire greater Sydney basin, Ms Ryan said.

[NorthNSW]

YouTube video of the storm complex that moved through the local area on Sunday night. This was filmed from the southern side of the area of storms at Port Macquarie. The view here on the northern side of the storms was very similar. It was an awesome sight. I can only imagine what it was like being underneath the storm complex.

Btw, the video is in real-time, it hasn't been sped up.

Edited January 15, 2013 by NorthNSW

[Styx]

^ Wow..4:37...night into day!

-----

Prospect of a record warm month may be slipping away for Tasmania; notably cooler of late, and so is the long range forecast. Doesn't bother me too much I suppose, except for the part of my brain which lights up whenever a local weather record looks set to be broken.

Another serve of outback heat for Melbourne on Thursday.. 39, and possibly more. The authorities are making a last ditch pitch for the public to be vigilient. Adelaide 41.

Upper 30s for Sydney and Canberra to follow on Friday.

Edited January 16, 2013 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

Sydney CBD (Observatory Hill) has had its hottest day on record. So far today it has peaked at 45.8ºC, surpassing the previous record of 45.3ºC on Jan 14th 1939. Observatory Hill has been recording temperatures since 1859, and is one of the longest running weather sites in Australia.

The highest temperature so far today has been 46.5ºC at Penrith in Sydney's western suburbs.