OUTLOOK: The resilient ridge of high pressure Wednesday finally begins to weaken. The circulation becomes inflow on Thursday which should help to reduce smoke concentrations and improve both visibilities and air quality. The long-awaited rain arrives on Friday when a robust frontal system reaches the South Coast delivering 5-20 mm of rain. All zones can expect rain and much cooler temperatures through the weekend.
CONFIDENCE/DISCUSSION: Good confidence with the warm, dry, hazy pattern followed by a significant shift to wet and cool come Friday. All weather models have been very consistent with the upcoming change so confidence is high we will finally see a decline in fire weather conditions.
6 TO 10 DAY: The upcoming change in the weather pattern is by no means a short lived one. Long range guidance calls for cool, fall-like weather persisting through next week with a regular succession of disturbances entrained in a northwesterly flow. The atmosphere will be cool enough for snow to begin accumulating above 1500 metres.
TIVFD