The outlook is for high fire potential in North West Queensland ahead of this year's fire season.
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The Northern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook 2019, published last week by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre said record warmth and significant rainfall deficiencies have shaped the fire outlook potential across most of northern Australia this season.
It said dry and warm conditions have now been persistent for the last two years, except for inland Queensland near Mount Isa and the tropical Queensland coast which received record summer rainfall and flooding.
Vegetation growth, which provides the fuel for bushfires, matches the overall pattern of rainfall and temperature, with poor growth affecting most of Australia.
The report said since 1990, Queensland fire season started earlier and persisted longer. This trend is likely to continue in 2019 given the current conditions, climate outlook, and with a delayed start to the wet season likely.
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