Massive thunderstorms: Rain finally returning to areas of Australia ravaged by wildfires

AUSTRALIA -- While hundreds of fires rage on all across Australia recent rains is a welcomed sight. Many regions in the Northern Territory and Queensland are forecasted to see 5+ inches of rainfall in the next week.

Future rain forecast for Australia



Videos shared all over social media of massive thunderstorms returning to Sydney and other locations that have seen incredible rainfall deficits since the start of 2019.  This linked together with the current forecast gives hope of a rainier pattern soon to come.



According to the Center For Disaster Philanthropy as of Feb. 15, 2020, more than 46 million acres or 72,000 square miles of land has burned since June 2019. That's an area greater than the state of Wisconsin which is 65,498 square miles.

Fires still rage on as of Thursday, Feb. 20 which you can see for yourself at myfirewatch.gov.

Feb. 20th snapshot of myfirewatch.gov's current map of Australia. Gray spots are areas burned in 2019, Black areas are burned in 2020.



Some of the most active wildfire locations are set to get hit with multiple systems over the upcoming week. Long term models continue to show a promising long term outlook for rainfall as the continent shifts into their fall.

A belt of low pressure continues to move off of the coast of the northern portion of Australia bringing with it heavy rains over the next week.