calissa

Orroral Valley smoke plume by Elizabeth Fitzgerald on 500px.com

I don't often post views from my place, but I thought I'd make an exception in this case. The smoke plume is from a fire burning 20km away in the national park, just on the other side of that blue ridge. The fluffy white cloud at the top is the beginning of a pyrocumulus formation, though it has since blown away.

I'm not in immediate danger. However, the forest and farmland between me and it are tinder dry. Tomorrow I will be dropping Sahaquiel at work so that I have the car and can evacuate with the dogs if it becomes necessary.

Canberra has been going through apocalypse roulette recently. We had a week of smoke-free air, which was glorious. However, last Monday a violent hail storm swept through. I only caught the fringes of it at my place--it brought some much needed rain and a tiny bit of hail (only a couple of centimetres wide). Unfortunately, it hit the centre of the city hard, with pieces the size of golf balls or cricket balls. Hundreds of cars were written off. It also smashed the glasshouses at the CSIRO, destroying years of research.

Thursday followed up with a dust storm. It wasn't as severe as in places west of here and it didn't cause any damage, mostly just leaving things looking grimy and tattered. That same day the airport was shut down when a local fire broke out nearby, burning through grassland and the local nurseries.

Most days, I'm doing okay, but the litany of disasters gets wearing after a while. I've noticed an uptick in anxiety among my friends--especially those already prone to anxiety. And most worryingly for the current situation, the temperatures for this week are expected to rise steadily to reach 41 Celsius/106 Fahrenheit.

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From:

moonvoice

Ah yeah, man you guys have been going through it, and that smoke plume is INTENSE. D: We've had pyrocumulus form over us before, it's just...and photos so rarely do the hugeness of it justice. I hope the fires don't reach you, and that you stay safe and don't have to evacuate, but I'm also very glad you're taking steps now to make sure you can, just in case. *hugs*

I saw about the CSIRO glasshouses, it's just terrible. It must be so exhausting. We had 42C today, but thankfully it's dropping down to 27C later in the week. I dread February, often our hottest month. When does summer typically end in Canberra?

forestofglory

*tea and support*

rmc28

Thinking of you; and thanks again for keeping us updated and letting us know you're ok.

alee_grrl

[hugs] I'm glad you are currently okay and taking steps to remain safe just in case. <3 <3 <3

pantha

*much hugs and provision of tea*

Have been thinking of you and your family/friends. Thank you for continuing to keep us updated.

Edited Date: 2020-01-27 06:06 pm (UTC)

onewhitecrow

Oof. No words for the nature reserve or the research centre getting hit. I wish it were a conference of climate change deniers instead, both burned and hailed to pieces.

Also, waiting for some nebulous form of disaster is more wearing than fixing disaster, I feel your friends on the anxiety front. If only there were a way to make in-case preparation fun...maybe decorate a box in your car to put your emergency bags/supplies in, so it's pretty? Or get a really good food and put in in there, so if something dire happens, at least you have [good thing], and if it doesn't you can eat it as a celebration? (I am trying to be any help at all, and apologise if these are bad suggestions, I seem to be on a roll with offending people right now)