Extended Hot Spell Vic Jan 27th 2014 onward

[dagget]

Temp dropping slowly wind coming from NW/W OR SW doesnt help to cool us much but at least under 30 here.

[Didjman]

Thanks for that Peter, keep safe if it heads towards you.

[/quote]

We have an emergency warning for Wallan, but the fire is still well sth of Beveridge. Judging from current smoke direction, the fire will pass south of Wallan if it got that far.
Peter

[Geoff]

Just been out clearing up the mess (branches, eucalyptus bark etc.) and noticed that the wind has eased noticeably in the last 10 minutes or so, just a moderate breeze with no more violent gusts. Nasty situation around Melbourne's outskirts, lets hope the wind eases for them soon.

[Didjman]

That was looking a bit hairy for a while. With the first wind change, the fire was coming straight at us. A second wind change turned the fire to the north west, so we are not in danger.
Temp now 25C here
Peter

[Gordon]

Time for a new thread for quite different conditions developing later this week? Will make for a pleasant change to talk about something other than extreme heat!

[occluded]

Back to a more normal temperature now at 25.6 degrees (PWS).

Fair bit of smoke visible on Blackburn Rd from the fire in Warrandyte around lunchtime. Several roads closed during the afternoon which we negotiated our way through to get to a tree down in Park Orchards which we cleared after the power company turned off the power.

Looking forward to a new thread with better news on the weather, I must say.

[Geoff]

Looking forward to a new thread with better news on the weather, I must say.

Hear! Hear! I must say I think this thread has been one of the most depressing we've ever had (no disrespect to Nick who started it), really just an awful period of weather, good riddance to it!
Models still a bit undecided where most of the rain is going to fall later this week, so will wait for another update or two before commenting, anyone who feels brave enough to start a new thread please do.

[droughtbreaker]

Wednesday's still going to be stinking hot inland although with light winds. We are not out of the heat or dry yet I'm afraid.

Bloody fires flaring up everywhere from that Dalrymple road complex. I doubt I'll even be able to get out of here tomorrow. There will be no trains, the freeway will probably be closed and no doubt we'll be fighting embers here as the wind goes SE tomorrow morning. Over 130 appliances and if anything it seems to be getting worse from the information on the CFA website and other sources.

[Gordon]

9 C here - first time in a while I've seen single figures on the thermometer; had to blink & double check! 26 C this time yesterday; what a difference 24 hrs makes.

[droughtbreaker]

I think we can confidently say now that it's got to the point where our averages are completely out the window. Every year now is seeing monthly average records fall, and just in the last couple of years we seem to not just be breaking high temp records but absolutely smashing them.

We just didn't get temperatures this extreme in the past, and certainly not for two summers in a row. Winters as well, I remember they were cold, and it even snowed at times. I also remember long periods of time with weather and temperatures near to the average as opposed to the wild spikes and slides we have these days, going from the sublime to the ridiculous with extreme heat and usually followed by some sort of torrential thunderstorm outbreak that floods everyone and then cool for a week, then back to extreme heat. There's very little in between these days.

Oh well, better get used to it, it is our future after all.

NB. I don't think our society can endure these annual severe bush/grass fire outbreaks and temps as extreme as the past two summers. It is getting to the point where we are going to have to build underground towns in VIC, similar to Coober Pedy to retreat to in summer when it becomes a total war zone.

We have always had fires and in some years devastating ones, but I swear, compared to in the past, they are getting larger, more intense, and closer and closer to Melbourne and major towns away from the forests and bushland than they used to get.

[jimmyay]

7 days over 40 this year in Melbourne so far...another record fell yesterday!