Much of Australia was hit by heatwaves on Sunday, as authorities warned of a high risk of bushfires in many parts of the vast state of Western Australia.
The country’s weather service issued heatwave warnings for Western Australia, neighboring Northern Territory state and the eastern state of Queensland on Sunday, saying temperatures in some regions could reach around 45 degrees Celsius.
In Perth, the capital of Western Australia, the country’s largest state, a maximum temperature of 35C was expected this Sunday, more than five degrees above the December average, according to weather data.
Eastern Australia has been devastated this month by El Niño, a weather phenomenon in which unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean cause heat waves, cyclones, droughts and bushfires.
In Western Australia, more than 20 bushfires broke out on Sunday, the state emergency services agency said on its website.
A spokesperson for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said in a statement that the agency expects “more challenging fire weather” starting Sunday afternoon as hot, dry conditions and strong winds hit much of the state, including Perth, the capital.
He warned of an elevated fire risk in many areas of Western Australia and said more than 1,000 firefighters had been battling blazes across the state over the past five days.
“Weather conditions over the next few days will put pressure on containment lines and potentially increase fire activity,” the spokesperson said.
Much of Australia’s east coast was at risk of torrential rain. Weather forecasters issued flood and severe thunderstorm warnings Sunday night for parts of New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, which has Sydney as its capital.
Source: Terra
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