Fire Danger to Become More Frequent Across Australia in the Future, Notes Report
The Bureau of Meteorology have released their 2024 State of Climate report, outlining the risk of an increasing number of dangerous fire weather days and a longer fire season for much of southern and eastern Australia
The Bureau of Meteorology have released their 2024 State of Climate report, outlining the risk of an increasing number of dangerous fire weather days and a longer fire season for much of southern and eastern Australia.
According to the report, Australia’s climate has warmed by an average of 1.51 ±0.23 °C since national records began in 1910. However, this is the case across the world. Since 1980, each decade has been warmer than the last with 2023 recorded as the warmest year on record globally. The warming has led to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events over land and in the oceans.
The report highlights that these changes in the weather and climate are happening at an increasing pace; the past decade has seen record-breaking extremes contributing to natural disasters that are accelerated by climate change, including ‘compound events’, where multiple hazards occur together or in a close sequence, which intensifies their impacts.
Coupled with increasing temperatures, Australia is also set to face a continued decrease, on average, in cool season rainfall across many regions of southern and eastern Australia, which will likely lead to more time in drought.
Other predicted weather events from the report include:
More intense short-duration heavy rainfall events even in regions where the average rainfall decreases or stays the same.
Further sea level rise and continued warming and acidification of the oceans around Australia.
Increased and longer-lasting marine heatwaves that will affect marine environments such as kelp forests and increase the likelihood of more frequent and severe bleaching events in coral reefs around Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef.
Fewer tropical cyclones, but with higher intensity on average, and greater impacts when they occur through higher rain rates and higher sea level.
Reduced average snow depth in alpine regions, but with variations from year to year
"These weather changes have a growing effect on the lives of all Australians and will depend on the speed at which global greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced. The report urges that we must plan for the changing nature of climate risk now and in the years to come."
Read the full report today.