Fires Still Rage in Australia Despite Heavy Rain
Posted: 22-NOV-2009 3:46pm EST

Thunderstorms brought widespread rainfall to southeastern Australia over the weekend. One to 3 inches fell across a wide area from South Australia and Victoria. The city of Melbourne, located in Victoria, had nearly three inches of rainfall from downpours. More than 4 inches of rain fell on the mountains outside of Melbourne. Normally, Victoria sees less than an inch of rain for the entire month of November. The rainfall has helped the fire situation across Victoria. Two weeks of hot temperatures this month led to many fires. While Victoria was soaked, New South Wales suffered extreme heat. Sydney, Australia's largest city, soared to 109 degrees on Sunday, the hottest temperature in three years. Gusty winds accompanied the heat. Dozens of new fires broke out across New South Wales on Sunday. One fire burned several thousand acres on Sunday, and continues to burn out of control. A cold front moved through New South Wales Sunday night. This front did not bring much rain. However, temperatures are expected to cool by 20-30 degrees Monday. More rain is forecast for Victoria this week. That said, rain will be hard to come by across New South Wales.