Australia: 2019 Hottest, Driest Year On Record; 6 Hottest Days Ever All Recorded in December 2019
More than three-quarters of the Australian continent experienced the worst fire weather conditions on record last month as 2019 set new benchmarks for heat and dryness across the country.
Nearly all of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, most of the Northern Territory, significant parts of Victoria including east Gippsland and populated areas in south-western Western Australia and north-eastern Tasmania set new records for accumulated fire risk for December, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
Most of the rest of the country, including southern Victoria and Tasmania, had scores on the forest fire danger index that were “very much above average” – in the worst 10% recorded. The index was developed by the CSIRO in the 1960s, combining data for temperature, wind speed, humidity and dryness. It does not consider the amount of fuel available or how the fire started.
Data released on Thursday as part of the bureau’s annual climate statement suggests that, independent of arguments about hazard reduction and arson, most of Australia was more prone to fire in December than in any month since 1950, when records began. This was particularly the case in the worst fire-affected areas: eastern NSW, east Gippsland, southern South Australia and southern Queensland.
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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/09/bushfires-crisis-more-than-75-of-australia-had-worst-weather-conditions-on-record-last-month