Fire and dust storms in South Australia
Rob Sharpe,
Monday November 30, 2015 - 17:47 AEDT
A cold front is directing a gusty change across South Australia, whipping up dust and pre-existing fires.
Last week fires swept through the Mid North before slowing coming under the control of firefighters. Today, hot, dry and gusty northwesterly winds have inflamed the fires again, with some fires threatening to break their containment lines.
Temperatures soared early in the day in Adelaide, reaching 35 degrees just before a southwesterly change dropped temperatures by 8 degrees in under an hour at midday. Further north and east temperatures nudged 40 degrees in the gusty winds, elevating fire danger close to the catastrophic range.
The gusty change has not merely been whipping up fires, but dust has also been raised, with significantly reduced visibility reported near Mallalla, to the north of Adelaide. Areas that have been previously affected by fire this season are the areas most prone to dust storms today, due to the very dry top soil.
Winds will remain fairly strong across the state tomorrow due to a follow-up front, but thankfully temperatures will mostly be in the low 20's, reducing the fire risk. From Wednesday winds will start to drop off more significantly.
- Weatherzone
© Weatherzone
2015