Hello again from the Bureau on a day of very dangerous fire weather conditions
across southern Australia. Fire danger today is Catastrophic through the
Southern Interior of WA and across seven districts in South Australia including
the Mount Lofty Ranges. These are the worst conditions for fire—any fires that
start will be extremely difficult to control and homes are not designed to
withstand fires in these conditions. It's followed up by another very dangerous
day tomorrow as those hot, dry and windy weather conditions move further east.
Currently Very High to Severe Fire danger is forecast for districts through
South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, and Queensland, reaching
Extreme through parts of northern Victoria. Now tomorrow's ratings will be
revised later this afternoon in each State and Territory so please make sure
to check back for any changes in those latest updates. Right now northerly winds
are strengthening through South Australia already gusting this morning
up to 76 km/h and as high as 90 km/h expected during the day today. This area
in yellow is our severe weather warning current for damaging winds. By 11 am
Central time temperatures along the west coast were already pushing into the low
40s and Adelaide's forecast top of 42 degrees today is only a fraction shy of
the all-time November record. Those dangerous northerlies will swing around
to gusty southwest winds with the passage of this trough and strong cold
front which will come with a dramatic temperature drop of around 15 to 20
degrees in many locations, particularly along the coast. The change will reach
Adelaide during the morning on Thursday and then push across Tasmania, Victoria
and western New South Wales during the day. We're now expecting Hobart to reach
a top of 33 degrees before the afternoon change and Melbourne the top
of 39 which is 17 degrees above average. Ahead of the front those northerlies will
pick up across Victoria and Tasmania in the early morning, so it'll be a dangerous day
right from the outset. Severe weather warnings have already been issued in
both States for tomorrow with damaging winds gusting as high as 100,
possibly 110 km/h. Fire weather warnings are also in place. So stay tuned to the
Bureau for latest forecast and warning updates and make sure you're ready to
put your bushfire plans into action if you're in an affected area. And
please follow all advice from emergency services.