Australia faces heatwave and severe bushfire risk

(CLO) Southeastern Australia is experiencing a severe heatwave, increasing the risk of bushfires and forcing authorities to issue fire bans in many areas of Victoria state.

Australia is in the midst of a severe bushfire season, with major blazes like those in the Grampians National Park destroying homes and farmland.

The National Weather Service has warned that temperatures could reach 45 degrees Celsius in some parts of Victoria, Australia's second most populous state, over the coming days. The thermometer in the state capital Melbourne is expected to hit 38 degrees Celsius.

Smoke rises from a bushfire in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia on December 28, 2024. Photo: APP

In the north-west town of Mildura, where temperatures are forecast to hit 42C, the mercury hit 32.9C at 10.30am on Sunday, surpassing the average high for January.

The heatwave has prompted a total fire ban for three areas of Victoria, where authorities have rated the bushfire danger as "extremely high", the second-highest level of danger.

Bureau of Meteorology official Miriam Bradbury said temperatures could peak in Victoria on Sunday. Western Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania are also under heatwave warnings.

Australia's recent fire season has revived fears of the catastrophic "Black Summer" of 2019-20, when bushfires destroyed an area the size of Türkiye, killing 33 people and killing billions of animals.

Ha Trang (according to SSC, China Daily, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nuoc-uc-doi-mat-voi-nang-nong-va-nguy-co-chay-rung-nghiem-trong-post329106.html