W. K. Lis
Superstar
MIXED BLESSING Australia fires – Massive RAIN BOMB to bring much-needed relief but could cause deadly LANDSLIDES
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New South Wales is one of the worst states affected by the crisis burning through the country, which has been deemed the worst season since records began.
A total of 27 people have lost their lives, with over 2,000 properties also burnt away by the raging blazes.
But firefighters working around the clock to tackle the fires have been given new hope by forecasters predicting downpours in NSW and Victoria.
However, the huge rain bomb could cause a new set of dangerous weather conditions.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology published a map showing rain for the majority of the state across the next seven days.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service joyfully tweeted the map, with the caption: “If this rainfall forecast comes to fruition then this will be all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed.”
The heaviest downpours are predicted on Thursday, with up to 25mm of rain expected to fall on the south coast.
Sydney, which recently experiences scorching temperatures of 50C, will receive a significant downpour, with between 2-8mm of rain on Thursday and 5-10mm on Friday.
But the forecasters say the rain could cause dangerous landslides.
Meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse of the Australian Buerau of Meteorology (BOM) said: “We are looking at a couple of days in a row of some showers and thunderstorms, some of which may produce significant accumulation over those couple of days.
'It will be quite welcome but there are some extra dangers and risks associated with it as the landscape is quite vulnerable with the fire damage. We've lost a lot of vegetations and there is the risk of landslips.”
NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Anthony Bradsheet said fire conditions would ease on Monday, saying: “We would love rain everywhere. Hopefully we will receive some good rainfall in fire affected areas.”
Sadly, there is no rain forecast for Kangarooo Island in South Australia.
More than 220,000 hectares - around half of Kangaroo Island - have been burnt, decimating tens of thousands of the native koala population and destroying at least 50 homes.