Wildfires

Wildfires – Canada

A plume of Canadian wildfire smoke rapidly darkened the skies over New York City and around the Northeast on Wednesday, making the air dangerous to breathe and disrupting life across the region.

By afternoon, Midtown Manhattan was plunged into a deep hazy orange and smoky clouds obscured visibility across the five boroughs and the region, canceling some flights. Earlier in the day, commuters donned masks used amid the Covid-19 pandemic while walking the streets, children stayed indoors at recess, some schools closed and officials warned people against going outside.

Wildfires – Australia

An estimated 60 billion bugs were lost during the Black Summer bushfires in Australian rainforests and it’s having a major impact on the health of the ecosystem.

Scientists from La Trobe University studied 52 sites in East Gippsland in Victoria and southern NSW that were severely impacted by bushfires in 2019-2020. About 75 per cent of invertebrates visible to the naked eye had disappeared entirely a year after the natural disaster. Rainforests make up just one per cent of all forests in Australia and lead author Professor Heloise Gibb fears up to 120 trillion invertebrates could have been lost across the country.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are currently no tropical storm systems.

NewsBytes:

Australia – Australia’s most powerful tropical cyclone in eight years lashed its northwest coast with winds gusting to an apparent record of 289 kilometers (180 miles) per hour Friday but skirted larger population centers and resulted in no immediate reports of injuries. Cyclone Ilsa crossed the Pilbara coast of Western Australia state as a Category 5 storm, the most severe, but weakened to Category 2 as it moved inland, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are currently no tropical storm systems.

Newsbytes:

Hawaii – Heavy thundershowers moved over Oahu on Sunday night, triggering a flash flood warning as 2 to 3 inches of rain fell per hour in some communities. Drenching rains triggered flooding in both directions on the H-1 Freeway in Honolulu. Rains on Sunday evening also reportedly triggered flooding on some roadways. The National Weather Service warned that local stream levels were rising quickly Sunday night. Flood advisories were issued for Oahu and Hawaii Island.

Australia – Australia’s largest city Sydney finds itself at the receiving end of flash floods. Incessant rains have caused massive flooding across the city making daily life a nightmare. According to the reports, heavy rains have submerged several roads in the city.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Australia

Water bombing has being used for the first time in a decade in Central Australia to fight a fire that has been burning in the West MacDonnell Ranges since early March. The blaze has already burnt 100,000 hectares in the region. The AS350 B3 helicopter, capable of lifting 1 000 litres, was flown in from Katherine on Wednesday.

At least one home has been destroyed and several other dwellings impacted by a bushfire that tore through an Alice Springs rural area Friday afternoon. More than a dozen vehicles and a number of other structures were burnt out by the blaze which has since been brought under control and the alert level downgraded.

Wildlife

Millions of Fish Die – Australian River

Contractors are being hired to remove millions of rotting fish from a river in the Australian Outback after a unprecedented die-off following floods and hot weather, police said on Monday.

The fish started dying in the Darling River near the New South Wales town of Menindee on Friday. Officials say the die-off likely occurred because fish need more oxygen in hot weather, but oxygen levels in the water dropped after recent floods receded. Mass fish kills have been reported on the Darling River in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of fish were found at the same spot in late February, while there have been several reports of dead fish downstream toward Pooncarie, near the borders of South Australia and Victoria states.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Argentina

Officials scrambled to tame a wildfire raging in a northeastern Corrientes province of Argentina that has consumed around 7,413 acres. Images showed huge smoke clouds billowing from the wildfire and traffic jams caused by the disaster as large patches of wilderness burned uncontrollably. Firefighters, police and two water-bombing planes have been working since Sunday to douse the fire which is the largest wildfire reported in 2023.

Wildfires – Australia

The Alpha Road Tambaroora bushfire which was sparked by lightning more than a week ago has burnt through more than 18,000 hectares. At least six homes have been destroyed. Almost 200 sheep have been euthanased by vets and hundreds more did not survive the fire.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical Cyclone 11s (Freddy) continues to persist, bringing heavy rain to Mozambique.

Newsbytes:

Australia – Residents of several towns in Northern Queensland in Australia have been airlifted to safety after record flooding. Evacuations were reported in Gregory Downs and Burketown. Significant major flooding has been observed in the upper parts of the Nicholson and Leichhardt catchment at Riversleigh, Gregory Downs and Doomadgee township. Levels along the Gregory River at Gregory Downs peaked at 14.69 metres on 10 March, where the major flood level is 10 metres.

Wildfires

Australian Wildfires Shredded the Ozone Layer

Massive wildfires that raged across southeast Australia in 2019–20 unleashed chemicals that chewed through the ozone layer, expanding and prolonging the ozone hole. A study, published today in Nature, describes how smoke combined with chlorine-containing molecules in the stratosphere — remnants of chemicals that are now banned — to cause the destruction of the ozone layer.

The Australian fires produced the largest smoke plume on record, releasing roughly one million tonnes of smoke to heights of up to 30 kilometres. That’s well into the stratosphere, the portion of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer, which protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. In the months after the wildfires, the hole in the ozone layer, which appears annually over Antarctica, was larger and lasted longer than in previous years.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Australia

Firefighters in Australia on Tuesday were battling over 30 fires, of which a dozen are burning uncontrollably, in several parts of the east of the country, which is also experiencing hot, dry and windy conditions. Most of the fires are burning in New South Wales, Australia’s most populated region.

One of the fires causing the most concern is that of Tambaroora, located more than 190 kilometers (118 miles) west of Sydney. Authorities fear that this fire, which has spread over an area of more than 21 square kilometers (8 square miles), threatens some 50 neighboring properties if it advances amid rising temperatures and windy conditions. The fires come amid a heat wave, which raised temperatures in Sydney to 40 degrees Celsius, the highest in two years.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Australia

The NSW Rural Fire Service says 38 fires are burning across the state including one that is threatening lives and homes in the central west. The blaze broke out yesterday afternoon at Tambaroora, near Hill End and about 80 kilometres north of Bathurst, and has since burned more than 635 hectares from just 169ha this morning. Flames were burning up to 10 metres in height. Properties at risk belong to a mix of absentee landholders and permanent residents.

Wildfires – Florida, USA

A dry start to 2023 in the Sunshine State has kept fire crews busy as conditions become more conducive for wildfires throughout the Peninsula. As of early March, the Florida Forest Service reported monitoring some 80 fires that have burned nearly 3,500 acres.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 16p (Kevin), located approximately 289 nm west-northwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu, is tracking southeastward at 13 knots.

Tropical cyclone 15p (Judy), located approximately 417 nm east-southeast of Noumea, New Caledonia, is tracking southeastward at 14 knots.

Newsbytes:

Malaysia – Rivers are above the danger mark in at least 16 locations in the state of Johor, Malaysia, where thousands of people have evacuated their homes. Around 630 mm of rain fell in under 48 hours in some locations of Johor. Meanwhile, flooding has also affected areas of Sarawak and Sabah States.

Australia – Authorities in Australia’s Northern Territory have ordered the evacuation of communities in the Victoria Daly Region after persistent heavy rain caused rivers to overflow. The upper Victoria River exceeded major flood levels after persistent heavy rain in the region. As of 01 March, the Victoria River at Kalkarindji stood at 16.99 metres, where the major flood stage is 14 metres. Rain has been falling in the state for the past week, but intensified over the last few days. Kalkarindji recorded 134 mm of rain in 24 hours to 01 March and Lajamanu recorded 114 mm.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Australia

A fire burning out of control north of Melbourne has threatened properties, prompting authorities to issue an emergency warning for residents at Flowerdale and Yea. More than 41 fire trucks and six aircraft are fighting the grassfire, which is burning at Spring Valley Road in Flowerdale and travelling in a northern direction. Residents have been urged to take shelter indoors immediately as it is now too late to leave.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Australia

A bushfire on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula has challenged firefighters, with an unknown number of homes and businesses confirmed lost. Dozens of firefighters were battling on the ground into Thursday night, water bombers were in the air and reinforcements from Adelaide were on the way. The grass fire that sparked in searing heat was seen all across Port Lincoln.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Australia

Multiple fires are burning across the region, but authorities have been focused on large and destructive blazes near Miles, Tara and Jandowae over the past few days. The three bushfires have ripped through a combined total of more than 150,000 hectares and at least 38 structures have been destroyed.

Wildfires

Wildfires – Australia

More than 20 homes and sheds have been destroyed as out-of-control bushfires rage in parts of country Queensland, fuelled by hot conditions. Evacuation orders were in place for residents north of the town of Miles on Tuesday morning as fire crews battled a series of blazes in rural areas west of Brisbane. The Myall Creek fire has doubled in size, burning about 7400 hectares on Tuesday and remains uncontained, with at least two sheds and farming equipment destroyed. The fire at Tara is about 880ha, and firefighters believe more than 20 structures, including homes, have been damaged or destroyed.