THE SQUIZ

Big parts of Australia are sweating through some alarming orange flashes with hot and dry conditions delivering temperatures peaking at 8-16C above average across South Oz, New South Wales and Victoria. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said spring records will be shattered this week, calling the heat “very uncommon for September” – and those enjoying the sun at Bondi Beach yesterday would agree. A cold front will see us reach for the Ugg boots again later this week, but the phrase on many weather watchers’ lips is ‘El Niño’…

WHAT’S GOING ON THERE?

Ease up, turbo – we don’t have long to wait to get the official update… The BOM is set to release its latest ‘climate driver’ update today, but experts say it won’t be a surprise if it doesn’t declare an El Niño system is here. The BOM is a bit of a holdout with the US Climate Prediction Centre, the World Meteorological Organization and the Japan Meteorological Agency all already declaring an El Niño. But Aussie experts say it’s a confusing time, with the record high ocean and atmospheric temperatures from the Northern Hemisphere complicating predictions of what’s to come. Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino says, “there are climate drivers that are influencing Australia’s weather playing out in a global environment that we simply haven’t seen before in recorded history.” Regardless, there is agreement that we’re heading towards warmer and drier conditions in the coming months – and in Oz, that means an increased risk of bushfires.

BUT WE’RE ON TOP OF THAT, RIGHT?

Wrong. The Red Cross released the results of a survey yesterday that found 66% of respondents reckon more severe weather-related emergencies are in our future, but just 10% had an emergency plan. More people are also worried about fires than 5 years ago – and with good reason… El Niño’s little sister La Niña and her wetter/cooler conditions left significant parts of Oz with more vegetation – and that’s why the warm/dry weather has prompted emergency authorities to put large swathes of the country on high alert for bushfires as we head towards summer. “We know the better prepared you are, the better your capacity to respond and recover from any emergency. Just thinking about it is not enough,” said the Red Cross’s Penny Harrison. And if clearing the gutters is too much to contemplate during this Emergency Ready Week, familiarising yourself with the new national fire rating system would be time well spent…