Australia bushfires: Flash flood, landslide warning for Victoria after Melbourne flights chaos
Thunderstorms have replaced bushfire and smoke as the latest hazard in Victoria, which has already been hit by airport chaos.
- Hellish conditions at Melbourne Airport
- Flash floods, landslide warning
- Melbourne Airport runway shuts
- Tennis again affected by smoke
- Victorian horse racing called off
- Rain expected to disperse smoke
- NSW to receive welcome rainfall
Welcome to The Australian’s live coverage of the ongoing bushfire crisis. Melbourne continues to deal with poor air quality as a result of thick smoke haze, but rain later today is expected to improve conditions.
• Top story: Thunderstorms on Wednesday could lead to flash floods and landslides in Victoria, forecasters warn
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.04pm: Rally for Relief raises nearly $5m
A charity tennis match featuring the biggest names in the game has raised almost $5 million for bushfire relief efforts.
The Rally for Relief charity match was organised by Tennis Australia and was hosted tonight in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne featuring international heavyweights Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and our own Nick Kyrgios.
🎾 How many Grand Slams on one court? 🆠#Rally4Relief #RallyForRelief pic.twitter.com/WjZODGxKly
— Damien Peck (@damopeck) January 15, 2020
With the ticket price of $59 going directly to relief efforts, crowds rushed in to the stadium to see two teams compete in a Fast4 format before Rafael Nadal brought out Victorian Country Fire Authority volunteer Deb Borg to hit a few balls across the net with him.
Firefighter Deb & @RafaelNadal is the doubles partnership we all want right now 🙌#RallyForReliefpic.twitter.com/EL9N4PD8hm
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 15, 2020
Nadal and Federer also announced a special $250,000 donation to the fund which tipped the scales at $4,826,014 at the end of the night.
“Incredible number, so much needed and I hope it keeps going,” said Federer.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.28pm: Flash floods hit Melbourne
In the last 24 hours residents of Melbourne have had to contend with smoke, high winds, thunderstorms, hail and now - flash flooding - but only temporarily, as the wild weather conditions are due to migrate east and create new risks near Gippsland.
Victorian State Emergency Services State Agency Commander David Baker said that the storms prompted hundreds of requests for help across the day.
#melbourneweather Taylor's Lakes Keilor pic.twitter.com/ul7KzcbCYi
— Skarfigo (@Skarfigo) January 15, 2020
“We’ve had about 140 jobs relating to trees coming down, 110 relating to building damage and 110 relating to floods causing damage,” he told The Australian.
“We’ve been coping with it well despite some of our crews being deployed at the fire grounds in East Gippsland.”
Mr Baker said the floods were temporary and should disappear as the storm system moves away from Melbourne in the early hours of the morning.
The migrating storm system will create new risks, Mr Baker warned.
“The rainfall won’t be enough to put out any fires but the high winds and rain will create new risks of debris washing off fire grounds and into the street and of landslides.”
“Our advice to people in Gippsland tonight and tomorrow is to drive slowly and safely.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.37pm: Firies’ letter to minister
A group of volunteer firefighter union representatives has written to the federal minister for emergency services David Littleproud to demand a royal commission into the latest fire season and outline what they think the terms of reference should include.dav
Citing the extreme toll the recent fires have had on the mental health of volunteers and the budgets of emergency services departments, the letter to Mr Littleproud said a royal commission would ensure “Australians are protected in the future from fires like these”.
“Our members serve on fire fronts across Australia, and some have been killed or seriously injured from doing so,” read the letter.
“We, and our members, have lost our workmates, seen our colleagues injured and hospitalised, and in some cases, lost homes.”
“The protection of life, property and landscape is part of our work...and we treat it with the utmost seriousness. It’s time for your government to do the same.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison flagged a potential royal commission into the bushfires on Sunday and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a state-based inquiry into the fires on Tuesday.
Robyn Ironside 6.10pm: Hellish conditions at Melbourne Airport
A hellish day at Melbourne Airport has seen dozens of flights cancelled, delayed or diverted due to poor visibility and strong winds, topped off by severe thunderstorms.
#melbourneweather Beverage Dve Tullamarine pic.twitter.com/DfB7rOgP45
— Skarfigo (@Skarfigo) January 15, 2020
Thick smoke haze from bushfires coupled with gusty northerlies forced the airport to single runway operations Wednesday morning with visibility reduced to 1500m.
Wind gusts up to 70km/h were recorded and just before 5pm a severe thunderstorm struck, dumping 25mm in about 15-minutes.
More than 50 flights were cancelled and dozens delayed, as air traffic controllers did their best to manage the demand in challenging conditions.
Services out of Sydney were hardest hit, with Qantas forced to cut 20 services from the city and reaccommodate passengers on other flights.
Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Tigerair also cancelled flights, and numerous aircraft that did make the trip to Melbourne were put in holding patterns for as long as 40-minutes.
The intense late afternoon thunderstorm triggered more cancellations and lengthy on ground delays, and a number of diversions. A Virgin Australia flight from Cairns landed in Canberra instead of Melbourne, and a Qantas Perth-Melbourne flight was sent to Sydney.
Despite the chaos, Melbourne Airport remained open as airlines worked feverishly to rejig schedules and get passengers moving.
Another thunderstorm is possible Thursday morning along with 20 to 30km/h southwesterly winds, turning southerly at 25 to 40km/h in the middle of the day.
Robyn Ironside 3.40pm: Flight delays, cancellations continue
Flight delays and cancellations are continuing at Melbourne Airport, which is operating on a single runway due to poor visibility and strong winds, and now faces the threat of a severe thunderstorm.
An airport spokesman said about 50 flights to and from Melbourne had been cancelled across the day, and dozens more delayed.
Most of the cancellations occurred before 6.30am, and represented about 7 per cent of all services in and out of Melbourne on a typical January day.
Flights between Sydney and Melbourne were the worst affected but Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia were able to reaccommodate most passengers on other flights.
Airborne holding times climbed from 10-minutes to 40-minutes in a matter of hours as air traffic controllers tried to manage demand for the single runway.
Bureau of Meteorology data showed the highest wind speed recorded at Melbourne Airport was 67km/h, or 36 knots, at 1.20pm.
The strong northerlies are expected to shift south to southwesterly late this afternoon and ease slightly to 15 to 25km/h.
3pm: Economist warns of soaring losses
The total economic losses from the bushfire crisis could top $100 billion dollars, a University of Queensland economist has estimated, AAP reports.
While some forecasts suggest the fires may result in $5 billion in direct private losses, Professor John Quiggin says that figure may balloon due to impacts on public infrastructure, agriculture, health, ecology, tourism and in establishing a national response.
“We’re going to have to develop a national capacity to deal with this kind of disaster and that will be costly,” Professor Quiggin said on Wednesday.
— AAP
Rachel Baxendale 2pm: Flash floods warning
Isolated thunderstorms could result in flash flooding in Melbourne and landslides in fire-affected areas in Victoria this afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
Senior meteorologist Kevin Parkyn said the band of thunderstorms crossing the state posed “probably one of the biggest thunderstorm threats this season”, describing them as a “two-edged sword”.
“While they can bring some much useful rain, it can also come down in very fast, high quantities,” he said. “The expectation is, particularly through central parts of the state, that these storms will become severe.
“They will produce heavy rainfall in a very short period of time, and the sort of rainfall totals we’re talking about are mostly in the order of 10, maybe 15mm, but we could see falls of 30 to 50mm, very localised in nature, and that’s the thing about thunderstorms, they are very much hit and miss.
“You can have some parts of the state receiving very little rainfall at all.”
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for storms currently developing over central #Victoria. Keep an eye on the radar this afternoon and evening: https://t.co/yFKpuHFANN #VicWeather pic.twitter.com/6mDrpOiDhA
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) January 15, 2020
The storms are expected to peak between 4pm and 6pm in Melbourne.
Mr Parkyn said the storms could result in landslides on fire grounds.
“We’ve got reduced vegetation cover. There’s high concentrations of ash, very vulnerable landscape when it comes to short bursts of heavy rainfall, which could see very quickly mudslides developing,” he said.
“We wouldn’t be surprised if in a number of the waterways, we see debris such as soil and trees and rocks that have come from the fire landscape into these very narrow ravines in the fire-affected areas.”
Mr Parkyn said the bureau was optimistic that the low pressure trough bringing today’s storms would morph into a low pressure system over the weekend, bringing more widespread rain.
“We’re quite optimistic that come Sunday, Monday, instead of this shower and storm activity which can be hit and miss, we’ll see wider areas of the state receiving much useful rainfall,” he said.
Rachel Baxendale 1.30pm: Beach shelter a last resort
Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said about a dozen residents of Tamboon and Tamboon South in East Gippsland had been forced to shelter on the beach as fire threatened the town overnight.
Victoria still has 16 fires burning, with seven watch & act warnings in place for fires in East Gippsland and the state’s north east.
“There was quite some significant fire activity on that Tamboon, Tamboon South fire overnight,” Mr Crisp said.
“Late yesterday we saw a column on that particular fire that was up nearly 8km. It was one of these situations again, where it was generating its own weather.
“There are 14 people in that particular community and a number of those people did go down to the water and shelter there overnight.”
Mr Crisp said water police had checked on Tamboon residents on Wednesday morning, and no houses had been lost in the community.
“There was some additional damage to some fences but we’ve checked on those people, they’ve got supplies, they’ve got communications and they want to stay where they are,” he said.
Watch & act warnings remain in place for the area around Tamboon, for the Cann River valley north of the Princes Highway, and for a section of the NSW/Victorian border north of Mallacoota.
Several warnings are also in place for the Marthavale fire north and northwest of Bairnsdale, for the Dargo area further north, and for the Abbeyard fire on the inland side of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria’s north east.
“We keep talking about these milder conditions, although it is quite warm out there at the moment, but we are still seeing significant fire activity across all of East Gippsland and up into the north east,” Mr Crisp said.
“Yet again it’s a reminder for people that you need to stay across those local conditions.”
Robyn Ironside 12.40pm: Melbourne still a runway down
Visibility has improved at Melbourne Airport but single runway operations are continuing, forcing aircraft into holding patterns for up to 40-minutes.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled since smoke and strong winds forced air traffic controllers to limit landings and takeoffs to one runway, at about 9am on Tuesday.
Most of the affected flights have been to or from Sydney, Canberra and Launceston, with airlines working to re-accommodate passengers on other services.
A Melbourne Airport spokesman advised travellers heading to or from the city to check with their airline for updates on their flight status.
The chaotic situation could worsen this afternoon with thunderstorms forecast for Melbourne.
Currently visibility is at 3000m, up from 1500m at about 9.30am, and airborne delays for arriving aircraft at 40-minutes.
Tessa Akerman 12.20pm: Health study welcomed
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has welcomed a national health study into the long term health impacts of smoke exposure.
Dr Sutton said a study following the Hazelwood mine fire had shown an increase in antibiotic use.
“It is important that we get more information,” he said. “It would be great to get national information ... we need that data to understand what the long term health effects will be.”
Ambulance Victoria responded to 100 respiratory callouts Wednesday morning, up 75 per cent on the average.
“We shouldn’t assume that there are no effects after an exposure has ceased,” Dr Sutton said.
He advised people to avoid strenuous physical activity on days when the air quality was poor and said he was happy to work with Tennis Australia to develop a policy for levels poor to hazardous.
“It was awful to see someone struggling with air quality in a tennis tournament,” Dr Sutton said.
Rachel Baxendale 12.15pm: Fifth victim added
Victorian authorities have added the death in November of a contractor working on fires in East Gippsland to the official death toll, bringing the number of people killed in the state’s fire season so far to five. Johnsonville man David Moresi, 69, had been working as a bulldozer offsider building containment lines on the W Tree fire near Gelantipy on November 30, when his vehicle rolled and he died at the scene.
Mr Moresi’s death has retrospectively been counted as part of the fire death toll alongside the deaths of Forest Fire Management Victoria firefighters Bill Slade and Matt Kavanagh, who died while on duty from a fallen tree and in a vehicle collision respectively.
Buchan man Mick Roberts and Maramingo Creek man Fred Becker were also killed in the East Gipplsand fires. Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said his thoughts were with Mr Moresi’s wife, Judi, children Kelly, Luke and Nathan, and grandchildren.
Mr Crisp said he and Forest Fire Management Victoria chief Chris Hardman had attended Mr Moresi’s funeral in December. “He’s someone that was working to keep our community safe,” he said. “It doesn’t matter whether you are the Emergency Management Commissioner or you’re a contractor contracted to DELWP working on a fire line, we all have a role to play and David’s role was as critical as anyone else’s in terms of what he was doing to keep our community safe.”
Mr Crisp said Mr Moresi’s name was being added to the toll because he had died working on a fire which started on November 21.
He did not explain why it had taken more than a month to include Mr Moresi in the toll.
Mr Hardman said Mr Moresi was a pillar of the community who “loved the bush”.
Olivia Caisley 11.20am: Lib MP wants carbon cuts
Liberal MP Jason Falinski has called for “sensible and practical measures” to reduce the nation’s carbon emissions in the wake of a horror bushfire season that has destroyed thousands of homes and claimed the lives of 27 people.
Mr Falinski took to Twitter on Wednesday to back comments made by his colleague, Science Minister Karen Andrews, after she said climate change denial was a waste of time.
“There is no debate about whether climate change is real,” Mr Falinski tweeted. “We know it is real. We now need to work on sensible and practical measures to reduce our carbon emissions.”
Ms Andrews’ comments on ABC Radio on Wednesday drew the ire of Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who accused the science minister of being hypocritical after the government had “held back” climate change policy for a decade.
Ms Andrews is on Wednesday scheduled to meet with representatives from the CSIRO, the Academy of Science and bushfire researchers in Canberra to discuss ways to address the bushfire crisis through science and technology.
There is no debate about whether climate change is real. We know it is real. We now need to work on sensible and practical measures to reducing our carbon emissions. #auspol https://t.co/t62z1B1ocp
— Jason Falinski MP (@JasonFalinskiMP) January 14, 2020
Olivia Caisley 10.55am: Albanese attacks climate change inaction
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has lashed the government’s response to climate change, declaring the Coalition has “wasted” a decade of action by “holding back” policy on the issue.
Mr Albanese also took aim at Science Minister Karen Andrews, accusing her of being hypocritical after she told ABC Radio on Wednesday the time for debating climate change was over.
It comes as Ms Andrews is today scheduled to meet representatives from the CSIRO, the Academy of Science and bushfire researchers in Canberra to discuss ways to address the bushfire crisis through science and technology.
“I did want to comment on the rather extraordinary statement by Karen Andrews that having a debate about climate change is a waste of time and the fact that Karen Andrews has today, as the science minister, decided to actually talk to some scientists about the impact of climate change,” Mr Albanese said.
“You almost couldn’t make this up. The fact is that there has been a decade wasted by the Coalition as a result of the fact that a small rump of people have held the policy back for a long period of time.”
He was joined by former Labor leader Bill Shorten, who called on the government to improve their processes when delivering financial aid to people and communities affected by the fires.
“You can feel it. You can see it.,” Mr Albanese said. “The impact of climate change and the devastating effect it’s having on human beings, but also on our economy, on the way our society functions as well as on our natural environment. The fact is that the Coalition can’t be trusted to actually take action on climate change.”
Robyn Ironside 10.45am: Flights cancelled
Thick smoke has reduced visibility at Melbourne Airport to the point where air traffic controllers can only safely operate one runway.
Strong winds are exacerbating the problem, resulting in dozens of flight cancellations.
A Melbourne Airport spokesman confirmed conditions were affecting flight schedules and numerous services had been scrapped.
“We’d urge travellers to check with their airline before making their way to the airport,” he said.
An Airservices Australia spokeswoman said conditions had improved to 2000m visibility in the last hour, from 1500m about 9.30am.
She said aircraft were still making approaches, and the average airborne delay was about 10 minutes.
Melbourne Airport at 10.00 am pic.twitter.com/hjl8gWxiX8
— Bryan (@micklerod) January 14, 2020
A Qantas spokesman said flights out of Sydney had been the worst affected by the cancellations and delays as a result of the Melbourne Airport situation, due to the large number of flights the airline operated between the two capitals.
Flights out of Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra had also been cancelled but in most cases passengers were able to be re-accommodated on other services.
Virgin Australia and Jetstar flights have also been affected.
On Monday a Jetstar flight had to divert to Avalon to onload fuel due to excessive delays at Melbourne Airport. The aircraft was later ferried to Melbourne minus passengers who were bussed to Tullamarine.
Olivia Caisley 10.30am: Flight delays in Melbourne
Hazardous smoke will blanket Melbourne for a second day in a row after the city recorded the worst air quality of any city in the world earlier this week as smoke from East Gippsland fires spread across the state.
The smoke has caused a number of flight delays into Melbourne and is triggering smoke alarms with authorities urging vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly to stay indoors.
Travellers took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with the flight delays.
“Smoke in Melbourne is so bad that the airport is down to one runway and tens of flights are cancelled,” one user wrote on Wednesday. “I’ll be spending the next six hours here waiting for a flight to Canberra, apparently.”
Smoke in Melbourne is so bad that the airport is down to one runway and tens of flights are cancelled. I'll be spending the next six hours here waiting for a flight to Canberra, apparently.
— Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 14, 2020
Rain and cooler weather expected to hit the state on Wednesday afternoon will help disperse the bushfire smoke with the air quality forecast expected to be downgraded to “moderate” on Thursday.
Courtney Walsh 10am: Australian Open qualifying pushed back
Practice has been suspended until 11am this morning due to air quality concerns, and play won’t start before 1pm.
Conditions at Melbourne Park are being constantly monitored and further decisions will be made using the onsite data and in close consultation with our medical team, the Bureau of Meteorology and scientists from EPA Victoria.
The onsite data and measurements early this morning were similar to yesterday, when practice and play were suspended and delayed. Conditions yesterday were forecast to improve throughout the day, which is what occurred.
Play and practice at tournaments in Traralgon and Bendigo, along with a junior event at Royal Park in Melbourne have also been suspended.
Bernard #Tomic on the front page of L’Equipe in #France He actually played well yesterday against a tough American in #Kudla But no doubt the Australian was among those who struggled with the air quality. pic.twitter.com/edp2Fysyrl
— Courtney Walsh (@walshcee) January 14, 2020
Courtney Walsh 9.20am: Smoke delays play at Australian Open
Australian Open officials have opted to delay the beginning of play in qualifying for two hours today as the smoke haze in Melbourne continues to cause problems.
The air quality is slightly improved from Tuesday, a day where Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic collapsed on court and was forced to retire due to breathing issues.
It is assessed as unhealthy, which is better than the “very poor to hazardous” rating that preceded the opening day of the qualifying event.
The Rally for Relief, which will raise funds for bushfire charities, will also occur at Rod Laver Arena tonight featuring superstars including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
Some players and coaches were highly critical of play beginning at Melbourne Park on Tuesday. The decision to continue on a day where horse racing was abandoned and experts warned against exercising outside was greeted with bewilderment.
Racing Victoria has already cancelled meetings at Caulfield and Yarra Valley that were scheduled for Wednesday.
Football clubs have also cancelled or altered training programs.
After seven Australians progressed to the second round on a testing opening day for officials and players, five locals are in action at Melbourne Park today.
Akira Santillan, Jaimee Fourlis, Storm Sanders, Olivia Rogowska and Rinky Hijikata all begin their bid to qualify for the main draw next Monday.
Angelica Snowden 8.40am: ‘Supermarkets must pay fair share’
Farmers have been on the front line this bushfire season — and Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie said it was time they got a fair deal from supermarkets.
Speaking on Channel 9’s Today Show, Ms McKenzie said the cost of food would have to rise as a result of the nation’s devastating bushfires.
And while the Federal Government was doing its bit with cash grants of up to $75,000, struggling farmers weren’t getting the same level of support at the other end of the supply chain.
“Farmers have returned to blackened paddocks weathered vines, orchards destroyed and stock that needs to be disposed of,” Ms McKenzie said.
The government has warned produce prices could increase dramatically after the loss of 8.6 million sheep and 2.3 million cattle to bushfires. @senbmckenzie #9Today pic.twitter.com/YttgTdPrG0
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) January 14, 2020
“It’s on the back of a drought which we know was already driving up the price of fresh food, and what we have been finding in dairy regions like Bega, Gippsland and the Adelaide Hills is that dairy processors are still paying milk cheques each and every day to these farmers despite not being able to pick up the milk.
“It’s now time for the other end of the supply chain, the supermarkets, to pay the fair price to the processor that is being impacted by the bushfires and the drought.”
The prices of meat, vegetables and dairy are expected to rise as the effects of the bushfire season continue to spread.
Ms McKenzie said consumers could support dairy farmers by buying branded milk that had the highest margin.
In response to a question about firefighters being asked to provide proof of lost income before they could claim compensation, Ms McKenzie said it was important for any process to be as simple as possible.
Olivia Caisley 8.30am: ‘Less talk, more action on climate change’
Science Minister Karen Andrews has declared the time for debating climate change is over as she calls for action in the wake of Australia’s bushfire crisis.
It comes as Ms Andrews is today scheduled to meet with representatives from the CSIRO, the Academy of Science and bushfire researchers in Canberra to discuss ways to address the bushfire crisis through science and technology.
“Let’s not keep on having debates about climate change. Let’s accept that the climate has changed,” Ms Andrews told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
“The climate is changing, and we need to look at what we’re going to do about that.”
Ms Andrews said today’s roundtable would be the first of many and she was not prepared to continue debating whether climate change was real or not.
“Every second that we spend talking about whether the climate is changing is a second we are not spending on looking at adaptation, mitigation strategies,” she said. “It really is time for everyone to move on and to look at what we’re going to do.”
Also meeting with experts in the nation’s capital is Environment Minister Sussan Ley, who will discuss threatened species after it was estimated more than one billion animals had perished in the fires.
It follows the announcement of a $50 million program to support environmental groups and intervene to save wildlife.
The meetings are part of a strategy by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to get the best advice from experts on a range of topics to inform the government’s bushfire response.
Education Minister Dan Tehan will meet with education sector representatives to hear first-hand how the bushfires have impacted and how the government can help.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will hear from financial counsellors on the needs of farmers, business owners and families.
8am: Smoke haze to again affect tennis
Conditions for the Australian Open qualifying aren’t expected to improve until late today, with players set to again battle through smoke at Melbourne Park.
A number of players complained about the conditions on Tuesday, including Australian Bernard Tomic, who sought medical treatment during his first round loss when he struggled to breathe.
Slovenia’s Dalila Jakupovic feared she would pass out before retiring from her match when she collapsed to her knees with a coughing fit.
Health authorities expect the air quality to bounce between the “very poor to hazardous range” until at least this afternoon, with a top temperature of 34 degrees before a late change that’s set to bring rain.
Tennis Australia says it will continue to work with their medical team, the Bureau of Meteorology and Environment Protection Authority Victoria scientists when making decisions about whether it’s safe to play.
TA says it has installed measuring devices on-site for air quality, with play cleared to continue during the opening round of qualifying.
Top seed Dennis Novak, from Austria, is in action against German Dustin Brown, while a number of local hopes take to the court on day two.
Among the Australian women, Kaylah McPhee takes on Belarusian Greet Minnen, while Jamie Fourlis meets Fang Yin Xun from China.
#AusOpen practice was temporarily suspended this morning due to poor air quality.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2020
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Qualifying matches will begin at 11am.
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Conditions onsite are improving and we are monitoring them constantly.
Further decisions will be made based on onsite data, and in close consultation with our medical team, the Bureau of Meteorology and scientists from EPA Victoria.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2020
As always the health and safety of our players, our staff and our fans is our priority.
Olivia Rogowska and Storm Sanders are also in first round action. In the men’s draw, Akira Santillan faces Frenchman Quentin Halys while Sydney teen Rinky Hijikata has a tough first-up encounter with second-seeded Swiss Henri Laaksonen.
Australia is already guaranteed 18 players in the singles main draws, led by women’s world No.1 Ashleigh Barty.
Daniel Sankey 7.50am: Victorian race meetings called off
Racing Victoria has cancelled horse racing meetings at both Caulfield and Yarra Valley today as the state continues to deal with thick smoke haze.
Racing Victoria wishes to advise that today’s meetings at Caulfield and Yarra Valley have been abandoned due to smoke haze and poor air quality, which is unlikely to improve throughout the day making it unsuitable for racing.
— Racing Victoria (@RacingInsider) January 14, 2020
Racing will go ahead as scheduled at Warwick Farm in Sydney, at Strathalbyn in South Australia, at Mackay in north Queensland and at Bunbury in Western Australia.
@RVStewards advise Caul & YV abandoned: due to smoke haze in the regions and hazardous air quality which is unlikely to improve throughout the day making it unsuitable for racing
— Greg Carpenter (@RVCarps) January 14, 2020
Angelica Snowden 7.30am: Rain expected to disperse smoke
The majority of Victoria will wake up again on Wednesday to a thick layer of smoke, which is forecast to disperse as rain sweeps through the state.
Hazardous air quality alerts will be in place until at least Wednesday evening for the smoke blanketing central and eastern Victoria.
Victoria recorded the worst air quality in the world on Tuesday, as smoke from East Gippsland fires spread across the state and authorities alerted vulnerable groups to stay indoors.
Thunderstorm forecast for today. Severe storms likely over central districts during the afternoon and early evening, with heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding possible. Keep an eye on the radar and warnings throughout the day: https://t.co/WnkBbagzKt #VicWeather pic.twitter.com/0ptZRAFC4C
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) January 14, 2020
“When you reach the hazardous air quality range anyone can develop symptoms,” Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said.
“There can be eye, nose and throat irritation, people can have a cough develop or worse, or even wheeze.”
Rain and cooler weather expected to hit the state on Wednesday afternoon will help disperse the bushfire smoke, improving the air quality forecast for Thursday to a moderate rating.
The Bureau of Meteorology said cooler conditions would remain for Victoria until the weekend, with maximum temperatures in the low 20s.
Rain and thunderstorms accompanying the cool change will hardly help firefighters battling blazes in the state’s east and northeast. Less than 5mm of rain and thunderstorms are forecast for fire-affected areas, bringing dry lightning that could spark new fires.
Central Victoria could see between 5mm and 15mm of rainfall. The recent bushfires have burned 1.4 million hectares across the state. Four people have died, with 353 homes and 548 other structures destroyed. Seventeen fires were burning in Victoria on Tuesday evening. One emergency warning remained in place on Tuesday night, in Tamboon where emergency services reported the fire was creating its own weather pattern there while becoming erratic. — With AAP
7am: NSW communities to receive welcome rainfall
Bushfire-ravaged communities are preparing ahead of forecast heavy rainfalls that authorities fear could cause slips and flooding in some parts of NSW. Rainfall totals of 30 to 80 millimetres are forecast from Thursday, with strong falls possible for fire grounds in the Snowy Mountains, southwest of Sydney and south coast regions.
The Bega Valley Shire Council said it would work with the RFS to manage any impacts caused by the deluge.
“Weather predictions indicate conditions are favourable over the next week for the containment effort,” the council posted on its Facebook page.
“There is predicted rainfall from Thursday onwards — early indications show the possibility of heavy rainfall which may impact on sediment run-off into waterways.
“This situation is being monitored and planned for by council and RFS.”
Weather Update: Heavy rain and the potential dangerous impacts to fire grounds in NSW and East Victoria.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 14, 2020
Video is current at 12pm AEDT 14 Jan 2020.
Info: https://t.co/t2CaglH2RW and follow advice from emergency services.#nswfires #vicfires #ausfires @NSWRFS @VicEmergency pic.twitter.com/zQrk6RAa4s
Firefighters have welcomed the forecast as the best news in months but the Bureau of Meteorology said the rain could be a “double-edged sword”.
“Hopefully some of this heavy rainfall will fall over fire sites and help control or even extinguish fires,” meteorologist Sarah Scully said on Tuesday.
“But it’s a bit of a double-edged sword because heavy rainfall and gusty thunderstorms bring the potential for flash flooding, particularly in the burnt-out areas of NSW and Victoria which are now vulnerable to land slips and trees coming down.”
With widespread showers and storms forecast for the state this week, if you have tank water you may find ash, dust and other material from your roof washing into your tank. Here's some handy info from NSW Health on rainwater and bushfires: https://t.co/HgWZ8kUxgX pic.twitter.com/xP3zsOVdx5
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 14, 2020
Mr Fitzsimmons said filtration and other equipment is being deployed into the water systems to protect drinking supplies.
NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey said the government was using silt curtains to stop ash being washed into Warragamba Dam by heavy rainfall. The fire service has been working closely with the SES, NSW Police and the Bureau of Meteorology to track the location of the heaviest falls. Despite the easing conditions, fire danger ratings are still high for large parts of NSW on Wednesday.
— AAP
Additional reporting: Courtney Walsh, Angelica Snowden