Australia is grappling with massive bushfires fueled by record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought.
In the worst-affected state, New South Wales, fires have burned more than 4 million hectares (9.9m acres) destroying more than houses.
Across the country, people have died – including three volunteer firefighters – with most of the casualties in New South Wales.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Fire crews are battling to protect homes in the path of the fires What’s the situation in New. South Wales?
Hot, dry weather combined with prolonged drought and strong winds have created perfect conditions for fire to spread rapidly.
******** 
Around 130 fires are burning across the state, with up to half as yet uncontained by firefighters and continuing to threaten lives.
The fires have been exacerbated by C temperatures and strong winds, creating difficult conditions for the 2, 624 firefighters deployed in the field.
The small town of Balmoral, south-west of Sydney, was largely destroyed
and scores of homes were razed amid catastrophic conditions on 40 December.
In northern NSW large fires are burning in the region between Port Macquarie and Byron Bay.
In the countryside to the west of Sydney , there are fears that the vast Gospers Mountain fire, which originated in the Wollemi National Park, may merge with the Green Wattle Creek blaze in the lower Blue Mountains.
The fire in the Blue Mountains , a world heritage area and popular tourist destination, has burnt over (******************************************************************, hectares, though much of it is now being controlled, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
Fire crews in the region have been taking advantage of cooler conditions to perform ‘back burning’, where small areas are deliberately burned to create breaks to stop or slow the main fire.
Smoke from bushfires has periodically blown south-eastwards to reach Sydney, causing severe air pollution in Australia’s largest city.
Major roads south of Sydney have been closedat some points during the last week and holidaymakers advised to “revisit their plans” to travel.
To put the fire damage in New South Wales in perspective, 1.8 million hectares burned in the California wildfires and some********************************, hectares were lost in the Amazon fires.
Flames up to (m) 320 ft) in height have been reported.
What is the situation in other states?
In the neighborhood state of Victoria, the Country Fire Authority has issued emergency warnings across the region of East Gippsland and told 30, (people to leave the area before roads became too dangerous.)
Fires have been burning in the area since late November but the latest warnings for East Gippsland are of bushfire-driven thunderstorms, which would increase the risk of the fires spreading further out of control.
********** In the state of South Australia, the Cudlee Creek fire is reported to have destroyed more than 80 homes in the Adelaide Hills region.
The fires are also thought to have destroyed up to a third of the vines that provide grapes for the Adelaide Hills wine industry.
So are bushfires getting worse?
Many Australians are asking that very question and whether these fires are linked to climate change – but the science is complicated.
Scientists have long warned that a hotter, drier climate will contribute to fires becoming more frequent and more intense.
********
Australia’s deadliest bushfire disaster was “Black Saturday” in February (******************************************, when some 500 people died in Victoria.
Data shows that Australia has warmed overall by slightly more than one degree Celsius since (*******************************************, with most of the heating occurring since (*******************************************, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
********
Hottest day on record
Australia broke its all- time temperature record twice in December.
An average maximum of .9C was recorded on (December, broken a day later by
********************************** 9C, both beating 01575879 s record of (********************************************************************. 3C.
By the end of the month every state had measured temperatures above C – including Tasmania.
********
The main climate driver behind the heat has been a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) – an event where sea surface temperatures are warmer in the western half of the ocean, cooler in the east.
The difference between the two temperatures is currently the strongest in years .
********
****************************
**************************
************************Read More (****************************************
**************************
************************Read More (****************************************
Read More (****************************************
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings