Australia’s Extreme Weather: Fires, Heatwave & Cyclone Alert
Australia is facing some pretty crazy weather as we start 2026. Bushfires in Victoria, a heatwave in Sydney, and now cyclones, really feels like the whole country is being sucked into a perfect storm. Here’s what has been going on:
Australian Fire Catastrophe
Victoria’s fires are being called the worst fire disaster since the 2019 Black Summer fires and a state of disaster has been declared for over 18 different locations throughout the state. There are currently four major emergency fires in the state of Victoria and the Longwood area of Victoria has lost over 145,000 hectares of land, burned down over 20 homes and schools and there are still three people reported missing. In the Seymour and Horsham areas, many people are in emergency relocation centres as they follow evacuation orders due to the wildfire conditions. The ongoing weather conditions and very high winds have made it even more difficult to fight these fires even as a small cool change has occurred over parts of the fire zone. Almost 200 fire crews have travelled from outside of Victoria to assist with the firefighting efforts and the Premier of Victoria has warned people that these are only going to be tough days for some time to come.
Waves of Heat in Sydney
The weather in New South Wales continues to be extremely hot and has recorded temperatures of over 43°C at midday today and 2 PM today in Manly but hit almost 43°C in Penrith around 4 PM. Extreme fire danger exists due to the very strong winds which are also making it difficult for firefighters and many towns have issued total fire bans and people have been encouraged to stay indoors. The tragic drowning of a 4-year-old boy last night has forced the local authorities to ask all residents to stay indoors and that even at 9 PM tonight, Penrith will still have a temperature of 34°C. Please be careful while near water.
