Scorched state awaits winds of change : Sydney airport 42.5 degrees
Scorched state awaits winds of change
Posted 1 hour 7 minutes ago
Updated 38 minutes ago
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About 100 fires are burning in hot, windy conditions across NSW.
(ABC News)
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More than 1,000 firefighters are on the job across the state.
(AAP: Dean Lewins)
Fire crews and residents across much of New South Wales are awaiting a change in wind direction, after a strenuous day of battling heat, low humidity and strong winds.
About 1,000 firefighters are on the ground as almost 100 blazes continue, the worst of them in the state's central west.
It has been a scorcher across much of the state today, with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees.
In Sydney the mercury climbed to 42.5 degrees at the airport, while at Walgett in the state's north-west it was 43 degrees.
The weather bureau's Chris Webb says two changes are expected to move through the state in the next 12 hours, eventually bringing showers and cooler temperatures.
A coastal southerly is due to push through early tomorrow morning, but in the meantime a south-westerly is moving across the state, bringing thunderstorms and lightning strikes.
The bureau's Michael Logan says a band of storms moved through the Cowra area this afternoon, travelling at 90 kilometres per hour. They brought lightning strikes but not much rain, increasing the chance of fires.
"Some tough conditions for the firies to get through tonight, with initially the hot conditions and then two wind changes, but some better firefighting conditions tomorrow," said Mr Webb.
There will be no total fire bans in place in New South Wales tomorrow.
Emergency warnings
Bushfire emergency warnings are in place for parts of the central west but warnings for the Laguna area in the Hunter region and the Glen Davis area have been downgraded.
The most concerning fire is in the Rylstone/Kandos area, where containment lines have been broken.
The blaze has burned out more than 1,200 hectares of bush and is heading towards Rylstone, Kandos and Clandulla; about 5pm AEDT it was just three kilometres to the west of Rylstone.
The blaze has scorched hundreds of hectares of tinder-dry bush and grass; it has also destroyed a building believed to be a small cottage. The Rylstone Hospital and a nearby retirement home, Ada Cottage, have been evacuated as a precaution. The Cudgegong road has been closed due to this fire.
But the Rural Fire Service says there has already been a slight change in weather conditions, causing a drop in temperatures and wind speed and a rise in humidity.
Firefighters hope that will give them a chance to carry out back-burning along Cudgegong Road.
They are also working to put in place a new containment line 1.5 kilometres to the west of Rylstone.
However, firefighters are bracing for the more volatile weather forecast for later tonight, which is expected to trigger lightning strikes.
Homes under threat
Some families have left their homes because of a big grassfire north of Orange in the New South Wales central west.
The ABC has spoken to one woman who took her children to safety in Orange while her husband stayed and saw the fire burn paddocks at their property in the Kangaroobie area.
The fire front is about five kilometres north of Orange and parallel to the Kangaroobie road.
ABC correspondent and Rural Fire Service volunteer Chris Googe says it is an area of small acreages and about 20 properties are under threat.
"Homes are under threat and they will be for a little bit of time yet until we can get a firm grasp on exactly where this fire's going and how fast it's travelling," he said.
"But we're doing our best to get around it at the moment."
Air crane on standby
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service has welcomed a giant waterbombing air crane to add to the resources of firefighters.
The air crane shipped to Australia from the United States arrived at Sydney's Bankstown Airport this afternoon, but it is unclear which fire it will be sent to first.
It is one of two air cranes to be based in New South Wales this bushfire season and adds to a fleet of another 100 planes for waterbombing, mapping, transport and fire detection.
Seventy of those aircraft are in use across the state today.
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