‘Significant’ Dust Storm

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says “significant dust” has been observed at Charleville in southern inland Queensland, with the haze expected to move eastwards towards the coast later today.

The BOM said visibility was as low as 1,000m in Charleville, and authorities said it could become an issue for firefighters currently battling blazes in central Queensland, if it reaches that part of the state.

Key points:

• The dust could become an issue for crews battling fires burning in central Queensland
• More than a dozen heat records have been smashed across north Queensland since the start of the week
• On Tuesday, Cooktown reached 43.9C, Innisfail hit 42.3C and Townsville Airport recorded 41.7C

Rural Fire Service bushfire safety officer Michael Welsh said the dust could exacerbate already-dangerous fire conditions along the east coast.

“It’s hard to see fires, hard to see smoke because of the dust — it’s pretty thick here, about 100, 150-metre visibility,” Mr Welsh said.

“It’s going to be hard to pick out these new fires — if they start — and jump on them early. That’s going to be the biggest difficulty for us.”

Heatwave to continue into weekend

More than a dozen heat records have been smashed across north Queensland since the start of the week and an extreme fire danger warning has also been issued for the Capricornia region for Wednesday, with the scorching weather to continue across the state into the weekend.

Yesterday Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk issued an urgent plea for residents near Deepwater in central Queensland to leave their homes immediately due to the ongoing threat from a bushfire fanned by the unprecedented heatwave.

“This is not an ordinary fire … this is a dangerous fire that could result in a firestorm,” Ms Palaszczuk said late on Tuesday afternoon.

Source
ABC News