Seasonal Bushfire Outlook autumn 2022

from Fire Australia Magazine | Issue 2 2022

Farewell to a pioneer of Australian aerial firefighting

Australia's national picture of fire potential for autumn 2022 has been released.

ALANA BEITZ

AFAC

AFAC, the national council for fire and emergency services, has released the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for autumn 2022, which identifies varied fire potential for locations across Australia.

Recent rainfall has resulted in average to above-average soil moisture and streamflows across large parts of eastern Australia. Influenced by the current La Niña event, the Outlook for autumn suggests that aboveaverage rainfall is likely over large parts of the country.

Above-normal bushfire potential is expected for lower south-east SA due to prolonged dry conditions and indications that above-average temperatures are possible over the next three months.

WA experienced significant bushfire incidents over summer, and with forecasted maximum temperatures along the west coast likely to be above average, areas associated with higher fuel loads will continue to have above-normal fire potential during autumn.

Areas of NSW, Victoria and the ACT have below-normal bushfire potential, due to increased fuel and soil moisture from good rainfall received over summer and reduced fuel loads in areas recovering from the 2019–20 fire season.

While most of Australia shows normal bushfire potential during the autumn outlook period, anyone living and working in these areas needs to be vigilant. Destructive and deadly fires can still occur during normal bushfire seasons across Australia.

AFAC CEO Rob Webb said the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook is an important tool used by fire and emergency service authorities to balance operational and mitigation activity over the coming months.

“As we move into autumn, fire authorities across many areas of Australia will use these cooler months to undertake mitigation activities, such as prescribed burning,” he said.

“The Outlook, developed by fire and emergency services and the Bureau of Meteorology, provides a national picture of fire potential that supports mitigation activity to enhance the safety of communities and landscapes. Agencies will continue to monitor local conditions and manage risks accordingly.”

This Outlook was developed by AFAC, the Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, the NSW Rural Fire Service, ACT Emergency Services Agency, ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Country Fire Authority, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Victoria, Tasmania Fire Service, SA Country Fire Service, Department of Fire and Emergency Services and Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions WA and Bushfires NT.