DRAMATIC SKIES...

.... and a dramatic day for all involved with the continued fires around Australia. In particular today our mates in the Blue Mountains around Blackheath and Lithgow prepared for a predicted weather forecast of up to 40 degC and winds which were expected to push the fires into Blackheath township. Check Hobbs report - and while all this was happening Walking Wombat Barb was caring for some wildlife.

The day here started off okay but by mid arvo the skies had filled and coloured with the smoke from the Mountains fires. The eerie part aside the colour was the ash and embers being blown more than 30 kilometres and falling out of the skies - a sample here!
The "real scary" part was we in fact had no wind at all - instead the air was absolutely "dead still". 

Thankfully the also predicted change came through around 6 pm and has cleared a lot of the air and dropped the temps.

So, all we need now is for the rain predicted in a couple of days to eventuate and fall right over the fire areas.... wishful thinking the way it's looking!

Have a look in LARGE and also some others starting here on Flickr! And sadly, many homes lost in a couple of areas - Lithgow, and down South.