NSW weather: RFS prepare for horror Friday
Authorities are urging people not to travel to the south coast on Friday and Saturday, when temperatures are predicted to peak in the 40s and winds will become gusty. CHECK THE LATEST FORECAST.
NSW
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Firefighters are bracing for a flare up on Friday, when the forecast is for temperatures to spike into the 40s and winds to become gusty.
Conditions are predicted to be the worst on the NSW-Victoria border and on the south coast.
Fire danger is expected to be very high across most of NSW and severe in the Riverina and Southern Ranges.
On the NSW-Victorian border, the RFS are preparing for a southwesterly buster reaching speeds of up to 60km/h in the afternoon to potentially join the Corryong and Snowy Mountains infernos, resulting in a half a million hectare “mega fire”.
A spokesperson at the Rural Fire Service warned unpredictable winds could also whip up flames near Nowra, in southern NSW, where temperatures will be in the high 30s.
Tourists and residents are being told not to travel to the south coast on Friday and Saturday amid fears of worsening condition.
The Rural Fire Service is urging people who live near fires to brace themselves for the possibility of leaving.
“If you are near a fire and your home is not prepared and you are not prepared to stay and defend you should consider leaving early,” a RFS spokesperson said.
Many south coast residents who have returned home after last week’s fires may again have to leave their home as they face unpredictable weather conditions.
More than 2500 firefighters will be deployed across NSW on Friday.
The dire forecast comes after days of damp weather has hindered firefighters’ backburning operations, with the RFS saying some backburning operations had to be called off.
Sydneysiders will also swelter through hot conditions, where temperatures will be 29C in Sydney and 38C in Campbelltown.
In the Hunter and Blue Mountains, where the monster 500,000ha Gospers Mountain inferno continues to burn, the mercury will rise into the 40s.
The forecast comes as new data from the Bureau of Metereology reveals 2019 was the driest and warmest year on record for NSW.
Forecast summary
Sydney - 29
Singleton - 41
Campbelltown - 38
Port Macquarie - 29
Batemans Bay - 32
Originally published as NSW weather: RFS prepare for horror Friday
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