From rain to fire: Last week’s Victorian storms are bad news for firefighters bracing for another bad bushfire season.

Country Fire Authority Deputy Chief Officer Craig Lapsley told Sunrise Exchange News that while the state is already expecting a “severe” fire season, last week’s stormy weather boosts the chances of it being a summer of “extreme” fire danger. “Patchy rain throughout Victoria will mean extra growth, and a hot and dry summer will mean the land’s a lot more susceptible,” he said. “Although we’ve experienced a more normal summer so far, we expect a lot of high and extreme danger fire days.”

NSW’s Rural Fire Service also expects another severe fire season, with most of the state still in drought. Commissioner Phil Koperberg says meteorological statistics all point to a blazing hot summer for NSW.

“The weather pattern across the world – high temperatures and resulting high-intensity fires – has led to catastrophic fire seasons across Europe and North and South America,” he said. “Despite some rain in April, May and June – which delayed much of the planned proscribed burning program but didn’t fill dams or impact on soil moisture levels – much of the state is likely to be very dry this summer,” he said.