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Rain Finally Begins To Pour In Australia Helping To Extinguish Deadly Bushfires

Joanna Freedman

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| Last updated 

Rain Finally Begins To Pour In Australia Helping To Extinguish Deadly Bushfires

Featured Image Credit: 9News

After months of bushfires ravaging the landscape of Australia, rain has finally started to fall.

Residents have been praying for downpour since the horrific blazes begun, and now the heavens have finally opened, bringing in the first significant stint of rainfall.

So far, up to 50mm of rain has fallen in New South Wales, and the wet weather has already helped to put out 32 bushfires.

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Meanwhile, thunderstorms have caused flooding in Melbourne. The city has seen a month's worth of rain, with more than 70mms dropped over St Albans, in Melbourne's west, in just an hour.

Plus, Victoria has been hit with heavy rain and even hail in some areas.

This rainfall is only set to continue, as the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted between 30mm and 80mm of rain in the area between Thursday and Sunday.

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Earlier in the week, the NSW Rural Fire Service described the upcoming rain as "all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one".

However, the wet weather comes with its own risks, too, as the bureau of meteorology have also warned that sudden heavy rainfall could also cause damage - labelling it a "double edged sword".

Storms are now hitting Australia (Credit: Nine Network)
Storms are now hitting Australia (Credit: Nine Network)

The issue is that, accompanied by thunderstorms, this rainfall brings with it the potential for flash flooding, and the fire affected areas are the more likely to be affected.

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There are concerns that flood water will wash away all the topsoil and ash into Australian water systems.

Plus, lightning from the storms has already started two new fires in Victoria's Great Otway national park, situated on the south coast - and there are fears it could start more.

Since the fires begun, tragically 28 people have passed away, they've burnt more than 10million hectares of land and destroyed thousands of homes across the country.

Over a billion animals have tragically died (Credit: Pixabay)
Over a billion animals have tragically died (Credit: Pixabay)
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Staggeringly, over one million animals are also said to have perished in the blaze as well, including kangaroos and koalas.

"Although this rain won't extinguish all fires, it will certainly go a long way towards containment," the RFS said.

If you'd like to help support those affected by the fires, there are a number of charities and organisations you can donate to, including the World Wildlife Fund, the Australian Red Cross, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Wildlife Warriors.

Topics: News, Australia

Joanna Freedman
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