Record dry November in Australia fuels deadly fires

[webfact]

Record dry November in Australia fuels deadly fires

By Colin Packham

 

FILE PHOTO: High-rise buildings are seen through smoke from bushfires during sunset in Sydney, Australia, November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Coates/File Photo

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia recorded its lowest level of rainfall for the month of November, the country's weather bureau said on Thursday, as an unrelenting drought fuels deadly bushfires.

 

All of Australia received less then 50 mm (1.9 inches) of rain during November, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said, with parts of the west coast receiving less than 1 mm.

 

The dry weather extends a drought that has gripped Australia's east coast for three years and left bushland tinder-box dry as bushfires rage across the most populous states.

 

Bushfires have killed at least four people and destroyed more than 400 homes since the start of November. Fires are still burning in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland states.

 

The dry weather is not expected to break for at least another three months, BOM said last week, heightening the risk of more bushfires.

 

With no rain relief, firefighters on Thursday continued to battle more than 100 blazes across the east coast and with winds set to strengthen authorities are worried the fires may spread.

 

"Today will be a long and challenging day," the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said in a statement.

 

The crisis has put pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison as critics say the Australian leader has not done enough to address the impact of climate change, which meteorologists have said was extending the length of the fire weather season.

 

As well as bushfires, the dry weather has also had a devastating impact of Australia's agriculture sector.

 

Australia's chief commodity forecaster on Tuesday cut its wheat production forecast by nearly 20% for the year through June 2020, with output expected to fall to an 11-year low.

 

As Australian farmers were harvesting crops, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences pegged production of the country's largest rural export at 15.85 million tonnes, down nearly 18% from its previous estimate in September of 19.2 million tonnes.

 

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-05

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[Odysseus123]

Yes..it is an extremely bad situation.My town is,once again,filled with smoke with spot fires on the adjacent ridges and mountains.

 

Two weeks ago the hills to the south were a raging inferno-people would say to each other "the apocalypse!" for that is what it looked like.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The crisis has put pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison as critics say the Australian leader has not done enough to address the impact of climate change, which meteorologists have said was extending the length of the fire weather season.

What a load of <deleted><deleted>.

What could he have done that would have prevented a drought?

What he should do is ban building in any area with trees, ban private cars, ban flying except international, compulsory sterilization after 2 children.

Now that'd get them complaining, but it's what needs doing to be realistic about "doing something". Windmills and taxes <deleted>.

[dabhand]

Interesting article.

 

For some reason such matters are rarely noted when fires are being reported on. Hmmm. 

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/arson-mischief-and-recklessness-87-per-cent-of-fires-are-man-made-20191117-p53bcl.html

[phantomfiddler]

My question, are the fires caused by global warming, or is the global warming caused by fires ?

[newatthis]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

My question, are the fires caused by global warming, or is the global warming caused by fires ?

#4 answers your question.

[GreasyFingers]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

My question, are the fires caused by global warming, or is the global warming caused by fires ?

The fires have probably released a lot more CO2 into the atmosphere than any of the man made issues.

[bristolboy]

3 hours ago, dabhand said:

Interesting article.

 

For some reason such matters are rarely noted when fires are being reported on. Hmmm. 

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/arson-mischief-and-recklessness-87-per-cent-of-fires-are-man-made-20191117-p53bcl.html

Arsonists may be the direct cause of these fires. But the reason that these fires are so disastrous is that thanks to the rise in temperature, the drier air and drier vegetation is much more combustible. Unless of course, the author of said piece believes that there are simply more arsonists about these days. A claim he didn't make in his article. What he did write was this:

"Seasonal changes, in part due to climate change on top of natural oscillations causing the drought and westerly winds, have some origins in man-made emissions. More directly, however, the source of ignition is human."

 

 

 

[bristolboy]

4 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

The fires have probably released a lot more CO2 into the atmosphere than any of the man made issues.

Only if you believe that the conditions that brought on the increase in fires has nothing to do with human caused climate change.

[Odysseus123]

7 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Only if you believe that the conditions that brought on the increase in fires has nothing to do with human caused climate change.

You are correct the conditions that bought on this are extreme and unprecedented...we all know this.

 

[digger70]

2 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

My question, are the fires caused by global warming, or is the global warming caused by fires ?

Neither, Global warming is a trumped up scare mongering Fake news to make money from everyone who will believe in it . Same as Religion. ????

[Sujo]

33 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Neither, Global warming is a trumped up scare mongering Fake news to make money from everyone who will believe in it . Same as Religion. ????

Good to know. Got a link?

[Cryingdick]

10 hours ago, dabhand said:

Interesting article.

 

For some reason such matters are rarely noted when fires are being reported on. Hmmm. 

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/arson-mischief-and-recklessness-87-per-cent-of-fires-are-man-made-20191117-p53bcl.html

 

I often think of this when fires pop up in rich areas of California. The increasing numbers are indeed caused by man.

[GreasyFingers]

14 hours ago, bristolboy said:

Only if you believe that the conditions that brought on the increase in fires has nothing to do with human caused climate change.

I did not believe it 40 years ago when it first surfaced and have not seen anything since then to change my mind. If they were right back then the planet would be 10c hotter and the seas 1 metre higher. All they have done is shift their predictions from 2020 to 2050 and beyond

[Cryingdick]

9 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

I did not believe it 40 years ago when it first surfaced and have not seen anything since then to change my mind. If they were right back then the planet would be 10c hotter and the seas 1 metre higher. All they have done is shift their predictions from 2020 to 2050 and beyond

 

No it is now less than ten years. Like any good scam you have to make sure there is an elevated sense of urgency. Send the money today etc. 

[digger70]

14 hours ago, Sujo said:

Good to know. Got a link?

I link you to MR Google , you can ask him yourself.