Fires, Heat, Water : Summer in Melbourne

Another 40 plus degrees C day yesterday. Not surprisingly there are now more fires in Victoria, with many still burning uncontrolled in NSW.
A friend snapped a couple of photos from Sale, Victoria. Note the eerie sky colours and hot pink sun!.

As a result of the heatwave, water usage has shot up. Melbourne Water reports the storage drop is double the summer average (Jan 17 report). This is not surprising as we have only recorded 3mm this month. It makes you wonder why the Water Restrictions were lifted in Spring last year.
However, this is one thing that no State Government can get right. If the restrictions weren't lifted then there would have been complaints given the near full water storages. But as the extreme heat has started earlier and rain has dried up, people are needing to use water to keep their gardens alive. So it will be interesting to see if there needs to be changes in the Water Restrictions by the end of the Summer period.