Craig McIntosh, 28 Nov 2015, 4:39 AM UTC
Outlook not great for SA firefighters
Conditions will not be favourable for fires burning north of Adelaide as warming temperatures, little rain and strengthening winds move across the region early next week.
After a devastating few days where fires claimed two lives, multiple homes and farms and burned over 85,000 hectares of land, they are beginning to be controlled by firefighters, albeit with ever present risks of flare-ups. To add salt to the wounds, the weather ahead is not on our side. Although not matching the catastrophic conditions earlier this week, the forecast for Sunday and Monday will not attract any cheers.
Temperatures in the area of the blazes are set to rise from tomorrow. Sunday will see a maximum of 27 degrees, while Monday will jump into the mid-thirties. Some good news is that humidity levels are going to be higher than the hot days earlier this week, adding moisture to the air which can help slow any spread of fire. The extra moisture will provide conditions suitable for showers and storms.
The good is more than matched by the bad in this case however, with winds unfortunately expected to increase with multiple direction changes.
Lighter easterly winds on Sunday will give way to slightly stronger southerlies during the afternoon. Overnight and into Monday, strengthening northerlies with gusts to 50-60km/h at times before the winds turn westerly during the afternoon. Wind strength is expected to be maintained into Tuesday as a southwest flow approaches over the Bight.
Although the forecast conditions are slightly less dangerous than last weeks, they will keep fire danger at an increased risk into next week. Always keep informed of current fire conditions at www.cfs.sa.gov.au and weather updates at www.weatherzone.com.au
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