Rain brings relief from fires, drought

Nearly a month’s worth of rain has fallen across drought-affected areas in northwesten NSW.

Storm clouds and rain on the outskirts of remote town of Bourke in north-west NSW. Picture: Elise Derwin

Nearly a month’s worth of rain has fallen across drought-affected areas in northwesten NSW, with bushfire-ravaged towns further east expecting some relief on Monday as the cold front sweeps through the region.

Towns that haven’t seen a drop in up to six months were treated to a downpour on Sunday, with the Bureau of Meteorology recording almost 50mm in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday near Brewarrina in the state’s northwest. This was the first significant rain seen in the area since April and constitutes half of the area’s yearly rainfall to date.

The towns of Bourke and Cobar received 60mm and 20mm respectively.

The wet weather system is forecast to reach the northeast by Monday morning and continue to deliver rain to the region until Tuesday afternoon.

There is up to a 90 per cent chance of rainfall expected on Monday for the northeast of the state, including towns on the mid-north coast such as Forster and Port Macquarie, which have faced intense bushfires over the past week.

On Sunday a watch-and-act alert was issued for an out-of-control bushfire in Forster.

Rain on Sunday was expected to help clear out a persistent smoke haze that has affected Sydney and other parts of the state, NSW Rural Fire Service inspector Ben Shepherd said.

“It looks like it’s not as much as initially forecast but it will give us a little bit of reprieve from the fire dangers we’ve seen over the last few days,” he said.

Inspector Shepherd said the showers were expected through most of the state but it would become clearer on Monday “about what got what and then where our risks are”.

“We could see some very hot and windy conditions towards the end of next week,” he said.

Rain is also expected for the Armidale region, which was facing an out of control bushfire at Carrai Creek on Sunday. The fire across more than 31,500ha was burning on the eastern side of the Macleay River in the Carrai National Park.

On Saturday the NSW RFS said there were still 72 bush and grass fires burning across the state.

“With more favourable weather conditions today now is the perfect opportunity to prepare your home for bushfires,” the RFS said.

On Monday the maximum temperature for the Port Macquarie area will be in the mid-20s with a very high, or 90 per cent, chance of showers. On Tuesday there is a high, or 80 per cent, chance of rain.

But the cool change will wear off by Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with a high-pressure system returning maximum temperatures to the high 20s – low 30s.

The wet weather comes as Pauline Hanson and Bob Katter embark on a joint drought tour across regional Queensland, starting on Monday.

The “Drought Tour with Pauline and Bob” starts in Charleville before wrapping up in Roma on Thursday. While Senator Hanson’s and Mr Katter’s parties will remain separate, they will use their seats in parliament to put pressure on the government.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP