(Brett Hemmings/AFP/Getty Images)As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday and Saturday, with the hardest-hit state this time being New South Wales. On Friday into Saturday, fires also erupted in other parts of Australia, including a destructive blaze on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. No significant rain is expected in the hardest-hit areas of New South Wales and Victoria for months. A positive IOD the past two years has meant drier-than-average conditions in much of Australia. This is expected to make back-to-back positive IOD events more common and make Australia even more prone to drought conditions accompanied by extreme heat.

Source: Washington Post January 04, 2020 15:33 UTC