NSW: Near record scorcher for Sydney
Remnants of the hot airmass that
gave heatwave conditions across the continent last week were drawn SE across
NSW today, giving the Sydney area in particular a comparative scorcher for
late April. The maximum temperature at Observatory Hill of 32.3 was the second
highest on record for the second half of April after 32.8 on 20 April 1922,
which is a significant high as Sydney's record goes back to 1859. Sydney Airport's
33.9 was 11.1 above normal, the greatest departure above average in the country,
while farther down the coast Wollongong's top of 32.4 was 9.9 above and Narooma's
30.0 was 9.3 above.
A grass fire
near the M4 motorway at Eastern Creek burnt through 10 hectares in warm gusty
winds
before
Rural
Fire
Service firefighters brought it under control.
VIC:
Wilsons Promontory fire contained
The fire that has burnt through 13% (6,139 hectares or 61.4 sq km) of Wilsons
Promontory National Park has been contained and the park reopened today. The
fire, which began on 1 April when a fuel reduction burn broke containment lines,
has engaged over 250 firefighers around the clock since then at a cost estimated
at $2m. As part of the strategy to contain the mosaic-patterned fire, crews
had dug by hand a control line 18.3 kilometres long in steep and rugged terrain.
WA: Bushfire burns
200ha near Busselton
An unfortunately-timed wind change saw yet another "controlled" burn run out
of control this evening, this time in SW WA. The burn, near Dunsborough, 20km
W of Busselton, burnt northwest into the Meelup Regional Park, close to Cape
Naturaliste. The fire burnt through about 200 hectares in seven hours before
50 firefighters brought it under control.
VIC,
S NSW: Windy as front crosses SE
Strong, gusty winds occurred across southern NSW, VIC and Bass Strait during
the day as a low close to the TAS South Coast dragged a compact cold front
across the region. Some high readings were reported from exposed coastal and
mountain
locations. Top gusts included 106km/h at Hogan Island, 50km ESE of Wilsons
Promontory, 104km/h at Thredbo Top Station NSW and 102km/h at Falls Creek
VIC. Hogan Island's average wind speed for the 24 hours to 9am Tuesday
was 60.0km/h. |