Authorities have issued health warnings for Melbourne as bushfire smoke worsens air quality in the city as major fires in Victoria could burn for days or even weeks.
Air quality was rated as the sixth worst in the world by IQAir on Sunday morning, with Vic Emergency saying weather conditions could cause smoke to spread and linger.
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecaster Diana Eadie said the smoke would linger for some communities but had largely cleared in Melbourne by mid-afternoon.
Heatwave warnings are in force for every mainland state and territory, with some capital cities expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius this long weekend, as firefighters continue to battle bushfires in Victoria.
And a cyclone is threatening homes and infrastructure on the other side of the country, as communities in Northern WA brace for flooding.
Heat wave warnings
Although there are stricter heat wave warnings than extreme warnings, authorities say everyone in these areas is at risk from the heat.
Adelaide has a forecast high of 45 degrees Celsius on Monday, Melbourne is tipped to reach a high of 43 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and Canberra is bracing for 42 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
BoM has predicted a potentially catastrophic forest fire threat as an intense and prolonged heatwave sweeps through NSW, South Australia, Victoria and southern Queensland.
On Sunday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology’s heatwave warnings for Tuesday showed much of southeastern Australia was at risk of ‘severe’ heatwaves (orange) and large parts were at ‘low’ (yellow) risk. A small area in South Australia is at ‘extreme’ (red) risk. Source: SBS news / Bureau of Meteorology
These states, along with the ACT and northern Australia, are experiencing low to severe heatwave warnings, with maximum danger in the desert where the borders of WA and SA meet.
In NSW, an extreme heatwave warning is in force for the Snowy Mountains and South West Slopes, with the BoM saying heatwave conditions across the state are “expected to intensify this weekend and early next week”.
Parts of north-east Victoria are also at the extreme warning level, with the BoM predicting maximum temperatures could reach the mid-40s.
In South Australia, Flinders is under an extreme heatwave warning.
The rest of mainland Australia is experiencing a less intense heatwave alert level, while Tasmania is the only jurisdiction without a heatwave risk as of Sunday morning.
The BoM recommends finding a cool location, whether that’s at home, a community center or a library, to escape the heat and reduce the risk of dehydration and heat exposure.
Victorian fires
Hot to very high temperatures in Victoria, combined with “dynamic conditions”, could lead to major fires that will continue to burn in coming weeks, a Victorian State Control Center spokesperson said on Sunday morning.
They confirmed that a fire in Longwood has now grown to about 133,000 hectares in size, and a second in Walwa is about 121,000 hectares in size.
More than 900 firefighters and almost 200 fire engines responded to these two fires this long weekend.
The spokesperson told SBS News that people should reconsider their need to be outside near the fires and adhere to the total fire ban in place.
“Disappointingly, yesterday, during a state-wide total fire ban, more than 20 fires were started, resulting from campfires, bonfires and burn-downs,” they said.
“It is extremely important that people do not light fires during a total fire ban.”
They also urged the public to obey roadblocks and follow directions and authorities.
Several locations in northern Victoria are facing the prospect of seven consecutive days of highs above 40 degrees Celsius.
“We haven’t seen a heat wave in Victoria for almost 20 years,” Emergency Management Commissioner Victoria Tim Wiebusch said.
Flood risk in WA
Residents of Western Australia’s north coast experienced damaging winds and heavy rainfall this weekend as a result of Tropical Cyclone Luana.
The system, which is expected to be downgraded to a tropical low on Sunday morning, will bring wind gusts of up to 95 kilometers per hour and heavy rain in the north-west of the Kimberley district, BoM said.
The area between Broome and Cockatoo Island, including Derby, was expected to bear the brunt of the cyclone as it moved south-east.
“Tides will be higher than normal between Beagle Bay and Kuri Bay and large waves may cause minor flooding in low-lying coastal areas,” the agency said.
“Wind and rain impacts continue near the system center, primarily on the south side of the system.”
A cyclone warning was previously issued for an area from Coulomb Point Nature Reserve to Cape Leveque, both on the Dampier Peninsula, with residents and visitors told to take shelter indoors.
BoM forecaster Jonathan How said heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding was possible.
“This could leave roads flooded and communities isolated.”
Additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
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