HOSE WERE THE DAYS
FIREFIGHTERS are sweating on the rain to arrive as an extended dry spell threatens to cause havoc with the storm season. The Gold Coast has had only half the average rainfall for December and 2017 ranks as the third driest in more than a decade. Stan Scot
FIREFIGHTERS are bracing for a wild new year with the lethal cocktail of an extended dry spell and storm season creating extreme fire risk.
Only half of the average December rainfall has fallen on the Gold Coast this month. The city’s total soak, 1017mm, for the year is the third lowest in a decade.
“We are on the cusp of the wildfire season and the severe weather season,” Inspector Dean Tucker, duty manager of operations for South East Queensland Fire and Emergency Service, said.
“We’ve had a longer than normal wildfire season because of the dry conditions and now were are moving into storm season.
“When it’s drier during the storm season, we get less rain meaning lightning strikes pose more of a fire risk.
“The arid conditions can create wildfires during storms when we see lots of lightning strikes. Within a week of lower humidity, we can be right back in wildfire season.”
The Gold Coast has had about 61mm of rain this month, well below the 142mm December average.
The recent dry weather comes on the back of the driest winter on the Coast since 2009. July recorded its warmest month and August received less than 20 per cent of its average rainfall.
Stan Scott, manager at Ashmore Garden World, said customers were buying water crystals and things to keep their gardens and plants moist.
“People should water their gardens and plants in the morning to prevent too much water being evaporated,” he said. “You can also mulch your gardens to hold in more water.”
A weatherzone spokesman said while the city was likely to be hit by storms in the next week, there was no guarantee of rain.
There is a possibility of thunderstorms tonight before tapering off tomorrow with a top temperature of 29C. Tomorrow and Saturday are expected to be fine, with 31C maximums, before the weather turns late in the weekend.