BOM's Bushfire Weather page

The  Bureau of Meteorology has an page on Bushfire Weather.  While the information provided is of a general nature it provides some interesting information, though I did wonder how much it might need to be updated as climate change (and our understanding of its impacts) develops.  I've added this site to the new Fire Links section in the column on the right.

It makes reference to the BOM's Fire Weather Warnings - one was issued last Saturday evening for Sunday.  I've been wondering what triggers these and how they relate to the Fire Danger Index (which I don't think they mention).  Here's what the Bushfire Weather page says about them:

Fire Weather Warnings

The Bureau of Meteorology issues Fire Weather Warnings when the Fire Danger Index (FDI) is expected to reach or exceed a value of 50 (38 in Tasmania) either today or the next day. [So that's the link!  50 is the low end of the Severe FDR] Warnings are broadcast on radio and television. In most States and Territories, fire authorities declare a Total Fire Ban based on a range of criteria including the Forecast FDI from the Bureau.

The text and map below are clipped from the BOM Fire Weather.

High Risk Weather Patterns - New South Wales & southern Queensland

The fire season for most of Australia's east coast extends from spring to mid-summer. The greatest danger occurs after the dry winter/spring period, before the onset of the rainy weather common in summer. The worst conditions occur when deep low-pressure systems near Tasmania bring strong, dry, westerly winds to the coast, as occurred in the major New South Wales fires in January 1994 (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Historic Chart Analysis at 11am EDT on 7 January 1994, showing areas with extreme fire weather that resulted in serious bushfires in NSW and southern Queensland