Sydney’s heaviest rain in 30 years put out bush fires that have been burning months

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Sydney’s heaviest rain in 30 years put out bush fires that have been burning months

10/02/2020 10:04pm

CNN — Heavy rainfall in Australia’s New South Wales has forced the evacuation of several towns and the closure of more than 50 schools, but also extinguished some of the persistent bush fires that have devastated the state.

The country’s Bureau of Meteorology said the region has seen more than 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) of rainfall in the past 24 hours. In Sydney, preliminary information from the bureau showed that 391.6 millimeters (15.4 inches) of rain fell over the past four days — the city’s heaviest rainfall since 1990.

Scores of schools were temporarily closed by the Department of Education in New South Wales on Monday because of heavy flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology also issued a number of warnings for heavy rains, wind and further flooding on Monday.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service tweeted Monday, however, that the rains have helped to extinguish over 30 fires since Friday, describing it as the “most positive news we’ve had in some time.” Some of these blazes have been burning for months.

According to New South Wales Rural Fire Service media officer James Morris, the torrential rain helped put out the Currowan fire on Saturday. That particular fire burned 499,621 hectares of land over 74 days.

Morris said the ongoing rain was expected to put out the five remaining uncontrolled fires in the state.

– Image / Current satellite and rain radar as of 11am NZDT (9am AEDT)

View more on this via CNN, including video, by clicking here

*WeatherWatch.co.nz is a CNN affiliate

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josh on 11/02/2020 7:15am

its great they getting their long needed rain. their drought is now broken by the looks and it could be the end of those fires

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Guest on 11/02/2020 2:48am

yeah and we get our driest summer in that at least unless we 79mils or more this month….didn’t Sydney have its wettest march in how many years last year

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