NSW rainfall not enough to help with bushfires as backburning efforts hampered
Much-needed rain falling across parts of bushfire-ravaged NSW was met with celebration by residents. But fire authorities are quietly cursing the grey clouds ahead of worsening conditions later this week. Here is why.
NSW
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Rainfall being heralded as good news across parts of NSW is not substantial enough to help the state’s hard working firefighters - in fact it is working against them.
While it may seem like cause for celebration in a state reeling from bushfires and struggling through intense drought, authorities say the downpour which hit parts of NSW on Monday and Tuesday is hampering firefighters’ crucial backburning efforts.
The news comes amid warnings worsening weather conditions could spark a ‘megablaze’ on the NSW-Victorian border later in the week.
Around 10-20mm of rain swept across bone-dry land in the central west, central tablelands, hunter and north of the state in the 24 hours to Tuesday.
Water flowing in gutters in Dubbo as rain falls. Regional Australia has a long, long road ahead as the drought continues and the question of how the landscape will recover. But for now I’ll take joy in the small things, like water flowing in the gutters pic.twitter.com/mDHYaNWR9L
— Lucy Thackray (@LucyThack) January 6, 2020
A drizzling of rain fell in the eastern parts of NSW from Sydney, Blackheath, Lithgow and down to Camden and the Warragamba Dam on Tuesday.
The rain wreaked havoc on Sydney’s power lines, with a combination of dry weather and rain placing pressure on power lines and forcing them to arc and burn.
One of Sydney’s biggest arterial roads, the Princes Highway in Rockdale, was blocked after a power line warped and drooped near the road.
The rain also hit firegrounds across NSW, with almost 10mm of rain pouring down near Wollombi, Penrith and Singleton and 15mm of rain falling on Katoomba.
In Nowra and Ulladulla, where two dangerous blazes are burning, just 1.8mm of rain fell.
The rain has been met with widespread celebration, giving residents hope as the region grapples with devastating bushfires.
But the reality is much more grim, with RFS spokesman Greg Allan saying the rain has set back operations that are crucial to protect lives and homes.
“If anything it hampers backburning operations because the rain dampens the ground,” he said.
The good news, Mr Allan said, is that the rain does give some reprieve by way of a welcome drop in temperatures.
But any rain lighter than torrential does nothing to douse flames - instead dampening the ground and forcing firefighters to work harder to manage containment lines.
“In terms of putting out the fires it’s not enough to extinguish them,” Mr Allan said.
A top fire chief has voiced similar concerns, warning that the rain is “not enough” to ease the hellish blazes with the ground set to quickly dry out as temperatures ramp up again later in the week.
CFA State Response Controller Gavin Freeman said a rise in temperatures on Friday could whip up flames on the NSW-Victoria border, forcing two fires to merge into a ‘megablaze.’
“We are fortunate right at the moment because we have more benign conditions but as the wet weather continues we’ll see things reignite in some areas and will see those fires merging.”
Temperatures are set to soar to 30C on Friday in Sydney and along the coast, potentially hitting the 40s and mid-40s in the inner parts of NSW.
Scattered showers are set to continue into the week, with a 30 per cent chance of rain forecast around Sydney and NSW’s firegrounds until Thursday.
There are currently 130 fires burning across NSW.