Northern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook 2019 includes Moreton Bay Region
This Hazard Note details the Northern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook 2019 , which covers all of the Northern Territory and Queensland, the northern parts of Western Australia and, for the first time, northern South Australia. The Outlook provides information to assist fire and land management agencies in making strategic decisions such as resource planning and prescribed fire management to reduce the negative impacts of bushfire. Download the Outlook by clicking ‘download’ at the right of screen.
Record warmth and significant rainfall deficiencies have shaped the fire outlook potential across most of northern Australia this season. Dry and warm conditions have now been persistent for the last two years, except for inland Queensland near Mount Isa and the tropical Queensland coast from Townsville to Cape York, which received record rainfall and flooding from December 2018 to February 2019. Vegetation growth, which provides the fuel for bushfires, matches the overall pattern of rainfall and temperature, with poor growth affecting most of Australia, including the tropics.
- In Queensland, above normal fire potential is expected in forested areas along the coast south of Rockhampton down to the NSW border for woodland and grass vegetation, inland areas in the south, a small area west of Mackay and in the south west of Cape York.
- The Northern Territory is expecting normal fire potential, with the Top End experiencing its driest wet season since 1992. Combined with the hottest wet season on record, this resulted in Top End rainfall being 34% below the long-term rainfall average.
- Normal fire potential is expected in northern Western Australia, due to a combination of fire activity during 2018’s fire season, poor rainfall over the wet season and the reduction of risk due to prescribed burning and grazing.
- Northern South Australia has had a dry 12 months, with normal fire potential expected across the North West Pastoral (including the APY Lands) and North East Pastoral areas. Floodwaters from Queensland have resulted in some areas around Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre experiencing above average grass growth, but this is not anticipated to cause increased fire risk across the broader region beyond what would occur in a normal year.
All Australians, especially those in high risk areas, should ensure that they are fire ready and have fire plans in place well ahead of time. When the conditions are right, hot and windy days, with dry vegetation, fires will occur.
Full details are available in the Northern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook 2019 – click this DOWNLOAD