Bushfire season is expected to start early this summer due to a strengthening El Nino weather system and a decade of below-average rainfall.
The Southern Australia Seasonal Outlook 2015-16, released by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Centre last week, indicates the south-east coast of Australia faces “above normal” fire potential in the 2015-16 summer.
A strengthening El Nino over the Pacific Ocean, described as the strongest on record, and 10 years of significantly below-average rainfall across the east coast have created these underlying dry conditions, the report concludes.
It found 2014 was Australia’s third- warmest year since records began.
Hume CFA fire group officer Gerry Hauke said firefighters and Hume council staff had started warning property owners to tidy up.
He urged residents to keep lawns mown, remove leaves from gutters, keep firewood away from houses, and check for cracks in brickwork that could lodge a burning ember.
“Have an escape route,” he added.
State emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley said the seasonal outlook had prompted crisis agencies to start preparing early.
He said high-risk areas included “the outskirts of Melbourne and where the bush interfaces with housing”.
