Western Australia Faces Bushfire Danger Amid Cold, Wet, and Choppy Forecast for Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Perth surpassed its Christmas Day prediction of 40C as a heatwave generated significant fire risks for large parts of southwestern Western Australia. Residents at the Boddington goldmine were cautioned on Thursday afternoon that it was too late for evacuation as fires impacted escape routes. People living in Cowalla were also urged to evacuate immediately due to threats to residences at Bidaminna Place and Millbank Road. Across the country, weather conditions varied widely over the Christmas holiday, with Melbourne poised to experience its chilliest Christmas since 2006. The Sydney to Hobart yacht race is anticipated to be cold, wet, and tumultuous, but without a recurrence of last year’s deadly weather. According to a race briefing from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) on Wednesday, the 129 participants in this year’s Sydney to Hobart will encounter intense southerly winds of up to 25 knots when departing the Sydney Heads on Boxing Day. “It’s going to be cold, wet, and bumpy; people will get seasick,” shared Lee Goddard, chair of the race committee. Sign up: AU Breaking News email. BoM senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury mentioned on Thursday that winds would diminish along the New South Wales and Tasmanian coasts over the weekend. “It will still be fresh at times, but gradually we’ll see them easing back along the east coast,” she explained. These upwind conditions suggest a tightly contested finish but make it unlikely for the race record to be broken this year. This scenario contrasts sharply with the perilous downwind conditions that resulted in two fatalities on the first night of racing in the storms of 2024. LawConnect, which secured line honors in last year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race, is pictured here. The weather bureau has indicated that participants will deal with strong southerly winds of up to 25 knots after departing the Sydney Heads on Boxing Day. Photograph: Kevin Manning/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock. Wednesday’s briefing commenced with a moment of silence for the sailors who perished aboard different yachts last year, Nick Smith and Roy Quaden. Race organizers, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, also declared that a group of 15 yachts will release rose petals off Bondi Beach in remembrance of the 15 individuals lost during the Bondi terror attack as they pass the site. The line honors favorite, Master Lock Comanche, is co-captained by two residents of the eastern suburbs who were taken aback upon hearing about the attack on Sydney’s Jewish community two Sundays ago. “Everyone was quite concerned,” noted co-captain Matt Allen. “We gathered with a large group of Jewish and non-Jewish Olympians last Friday, held a service there, and shared a brunch to demonstrate our support for the victims and the community as a whole.” In Western Australia, Tropical Cyclone Grant was moving away from the Cocos Islands, situated 2,750 km northwest of Perth, on Thursday. Heavy rain, storms, and strong winds were diminishing as the category 1 cyclone advanced westward. Perth recorded a high of 41.9C on Thursday afternoon, with an extreme fire danger warning in effect for much of southwestern Western Australia during Christmas. At Boddington goldmine in the Peel region, southwest of Perth, the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) informed residents that it was too late to evacuate. “You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. Lives and homes are at risk.” A broader watch and act alert was issued for the surrounding areas. Bradbury stated that the heat would start to lessen on Friday. “Today marks the final day of the extreme heat for now in the west coast,” she said. A flood watch was in effect across much of northern Australia on Thursday throughout WA, the Northern Territory, and Queensland. Brisbane braced for a hot, dry start, with a possibility of showers and storms paired with a high of 33C. Darwin faced a forecast of up to 50mm of rain, with likely thunderstorms and showers. On Thursday afternoon, Melbourne was on course to register its coldest Christmas since 2006, with a high of 17C. Snow was reported in elevated regions of Tasmania, with the BoM indicating that rain showers were falling as snow as low as 700 meters above sea level on Christmas morning.
Published: 2025-12-25 20:06:00
source: www.theguardian.com
