Australia battling fires while also facing threat of tropical storms

Australia is a large country of weather extremes, from wild fires to tropical storms — sometimes at the same time.

In the state of New South Wales, firefighters are continuing to battle fires. Though there are no fire bans across the state, much of the area is under a high fire danger rating. Rain is expected to move into the area next week.

North of New South Wales, the state of Queensland is also facing fire conditions as dry air and gusty winds move into the area. The country has been facing record high heat waves over the past month.

But at the same time, northern Queensland is facing a different threat: a tropical storm.

A tropical storm named Fletcher had threatened the area on Monday, but was downgraded to a low pressure area as it reached land. However, it continues to produce heavy rainfall in the area, and several towns are under a flood warning.

READ MORE: Wildfires blaze across Australia, killing 1 person

The reason for the difference in weather is that Queensland is a large Australian state with an area of 1.7 million square kilometres, nearly twice as large as Ontario (1 million square kilometres).

Of more concern is Tropical Storm Edna which is making its way toward Queensland, producing maximum sustained winds near 62 km/h. The storm is moving southeastward at 35 km/h.

The relatively warm sea temperature — around 28 C — is expected to further strengthen the storm.

This is Australia’s monsoon season, which lasts for about six months, from November to about April when the country’s dry season begins.