Australia is finally receiving its first significant rainfall in months as a low-pressure system sweeps in from the east bringing a respite to parched and fire-ravaged regions across the country.
The much-needed downpours have already contributed to extinguishing 32 bushfires in New South Wales alone since the number of fires fell from 120 to 88. The Bureau of Meteorology is expecting 30-80mm worth of rainfall in the east of New South Wales between Thursday 23rd and Sunday 26th of January 2020.
As Sky News reported, a month’s worth of rain fell over Melbourne in just a few hours.
The hit & miss nature of #thunderstorms means it's difficult to forecast exactly where the heaviest rain will be—some parts of #bushfire & #drought affected eastern Australia could see 50–100 mm over the next few days; while others may see very little https://t.co/T7MYuIdxkO pic.twitter.com/zgmiBmqcIG
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 15, 2020
The rain could bring a new calamity to Australia by washing toxic ash into waterways, potentially causing mass fish deaths and contaminating drinking water supplies for millions of people. People are speculating that it may finally bring relief to the exhausted firefighters that have battled the deadly flames for more than three months now.
Since the fire crisis broke out in September 2019, at least 28 people have been killed and many others forced to evacuate—sometimes more than once—while the unprecedented wave of bushfires was sweeping across the country. The fires consumed upwards of 25.5 million acres (10.3 million hectares) of land, which is an area equal to the size of South Korea.
If this @BOM_NSW rainfall forecast comes to fruition then this will be all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed. #NSWRFS #nswfires pic.twitter.com/R9VfD0bqu2
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 12, 2020
New South Wales and Victoria received about 15mm of rain. The thunderstorms have also caused flooding in Melbourne. Although the rain has dampened the fires, over 80 of them are still burning in the New South Wales area and 18 in Victoria.
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