Darwin Airport 26.5 as fire danger hits Extreme

Extreme inland, easy harbour: E-SE 10-15 kt today

Darwin Airport logged a running maximum of 26.5° at 6am on Wednesday with humidity at 80 per cent, and that mild, sticky start sits under an Extreme fire danger rating for the rest of the day.

The rating covers the Darwin and Adelaide River fire weather district, where the representative peak Fire Behaviour Index is forecast to reach 80 and the city is headed for a maximum of 35°.

Two stories, one district, because the Extreme rating is driven by inland woodland fuels while the harbour itself stays light and low-swell through the middle of the day.

What the warning says

The Bureau of Meteorology issued the fire weather warning at 4:14am CST for the Darwin and Adelaide River district, covering the remainder of Wednesday.

Hot conditions and elevated fire dangers develop through inland parts of the district and combine with moderate to fresh, gusty east to southeast winds.

The warning states that no further warnings will be issued for this event unless the situation changes.

Action your Bushfire Survival Plan now.

Bushfires NT and the NT Fire and Rescue Service issued that advice in the warning, alongside a reminder to call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.

The numbers behind the rating

Woodland makes up 87 per cent of the district, and woodland fuels carry a forecast index of 81, slightly above the district figure of 80.

Around 45 per cent of the district sits at an index of 24 or above from 9am for 12 hours, and 14 per cent reaches 50 or above from 9am for 10 hours.

A smaller slice, about 1 per cent of the area, is forecast to reach an index of 100 or above from 10am for seven hours.

Two atmospheric flags are up, with a continuous Haines index of 11 exceeding the 95th percentile threshold and a wind change danger index of 44, above the 40 mark.

Ratings elsewhere are lower and all sit at High, with the Northern Fire Protection Zone at an index of 26, the Katherine zone at 43 and Barkly North at 41.

On the water at Darwin Harbour

The harbour forecast has east to southeasterly 10 to 15 knots on Wednesday, shifting north to northwesterly below 10 knots in the late afternoon.

Seas are below 1 metre and swell is below 0.5 metres under a sunny sky, which is about as straightforward as a trailer-boat day gets this week.

Ramp timing matters more than wind today, with Nightcliff, Dinah Beach and Buffalo Creek all comfortable while the breeze stays inside 15 knots.

Ashore, the city forecast has east to southeasterly 20 to 30 km/h turning north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h in the afternoon before going light in the evening.

Darwin Airport recorded no rain in the 24 hours to the 8:21am observation, with a dew point of 22.8° and pressure at 1017.2 hPa.

The airport's overnight minimum was 22.9° and the apparent temperature had already climbed to 30.0° by that same observation.

Rain chance in the city is 5 per cent, with a slight to medium chance of showers limited to the Tiwi Islands and the eastern Arnhem and Daly coasts.

Smoke, heat and the inland edge

Inland gauges were already drier than the coast, with Jabiru Airport at 27.0° and 52 per cent humidity and Bradshaw at 27.4° with 40 per cent.

Closer to town, Noonamah Airstrip read 27.0° and Middle Point 26.4°, while Charles Point reached 27.8° with an apparent temperature of 31.5°.

Batchelor Airport sat at 26.0° and Gunn Point at 26.3°, while Dum In Mirrie Airstrip reached 27.6° with an apparent temperature of 31.2°.

Tindal RAAF was the coolest of that group at 24.7° with humidity at 65 per cent, and Kangaroo Flats read 27.3°.

Forecast maximums of 37° at Humpty Doo, Berry Springs and Noonamah sit above Nightcliff, Dundee Beach and Darwin Airport at 35°.

That gradient is the point, because the dry easterly running over inland woodland is the fire problem while the harbour picks up a sea breeze influence later in the day.

Boaters heading out of Buffalo Creek or Dinah Beach may still see smoke haze drift over the water once the breeze swings into the northern quarter.

Ultraviolet levels are rated Extreme at 11, with sun protection advised from 9:00am to 4:20pm for anyone working an open deck.

How the pattern is set up

A high pressure system over the Great Australian Bight is extending a strengthening ridge through the Territory, which is what keeps this dry easterly flow running.

The same high extends a ridge over Darwin coastal waters, and winds strengthen over eastern and northern coastal waters from Friday.

The ridge then starts to weaken over Central Australia from the weekend as the high moves further east.

Thursday looks sunny with a minimum of 23° and a maximum of 35°, and east to southeasterly 25 to 35 km/h through the morning.

On the harbour, Thursday starts variable below 10 knots, becomes east to southeasterly 10 to 15 knots around midday and turns northeasterly in the early afternoon.

Is Darwin Harbour workable for a trailer boat on Wednesday?

The forecast has east to southeasterly 10 to 15 knots, seas below 1 metre and swell below 0.5 metres, which suits small craft.

What does Extreme fire danger mean for boaters?

The rating applies on land and is driven by inland woodland fuels, so the on-water effect is mostly smoke haze and caution around any burning ground near access tracks.

When does the wind change on Wednesday?

The harbour wind shifts north to northwesterly below 10 knots in the late afternoon, while the city forecast turns north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the afternoon.

Will more fire weather warnings be issued today?

No further warnings will be issued for this event unless the situation changes.

How hot will it get away from the coast?

Humpty Doo, Berry Springs and Noonamah are forecast to reach 37°, with Palmerston and Howard Springs at 36°.

Track the latest alerts on our Northern Territory warnings page and line up your launch with the Darwin wind forecast .