Re rainfall 2017, 225mm for this calendar year, barely one third annual with 3 months left !!

You are quite right TB, "moisture deficit".

Pretty much every WATL model or similiar has a low rainfall over us this year.

So for 2017 - 225mm, the 2016 annual rainfall was 779.5mm a very good year.

Annual av. is round 620mm.

This is footage from the TIMBARRA. You can see how this fire was spotting like mad. Spoke to a guy today who was up there with the CFA, they had no idea what was going on, without aircraft it was impossible for them to even work out where the front of the fire was let alone attack it.

https://www.facebook.com/ABCGippsland/vi...XmtJrSbVY7YUQ0k

Conditions and fire behaviour like that - stay safe, don't get in front of it.
No doubt that was soon worked out on the day.

It's fortunate the Timbarra fire didn't result in tragedy. There were a number of camping parties in the area apparently and the fire broke out and spread unseasonably and unexpectedly - and so quickly.

Thanks Logansi.

A longer version of this video can be found at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtX-QhHFmIM

Good quality exit tracks to the west in that country, I suppose inexperienced campers exited down wind of the fire not knowing what they were doing.

I don't know that area too well Samboz and not sure where they were - so can't judge.

Forecast late Friday and Saturday is not too good - winds from the NW eventually around to the SW up to 45kph. Chance of showers - and it IS Sept after all - but conditions might get difficult on the Timbarra fire as well as the ones further north (east from Benambra).

First Grassland Curing map of the season out today:
Quite normal for the most areas of the state for start of early October but East Gippsland is well ahead of normal - around 2 months compared to 2015 and 2016.

How can we acess these maps? Been looking all over the CFA Site/VicEmergency Sites for these overlays.

Cheers

They were posted onto the CFA Gippsland Facebook Page and later on the CFA Facebook page.

The CFA and FFMV facebook pages are good sources for extra information

WE need more rain, as September is well under average rain 15mm out of 54.2mm and hope October bring rain back..

Cheers Logansi

FDP starting on Monday for Wellington Shire and East Gippsland Shire.

Yeah, Dawood. I have no memory of FDP starting anywhere near this early in Gippsland.

....and the President of Royal Maffra, told me to keep my matches in check this evening!!

Normally at this time of the year, I'd be waiting for the chance for burn piles from blown down branches to dry enough to light!!

Fire 80ha+ just west of the Cobberas (far NE Vic). Not sure how it would have started - (no lightning?) and it's deep in bush, not abutting farmland where it could have been started by a burn-off. Will be very difficult to round up. Several bombers working on it.

Yes very odd one, going to be a challenge over the next few warm days. Hotspots from satellite were picked up in the area so I suspect it was burning overnight but not detected until morning

Sunday looking like becoming our first TFB for the season with Servere FDI currently forecast for the Mallee

yep TFB Declared for the Mallee for 29/10/2017 between 0001 and 2359. Not the earliest but its a reminder that we are drier than last year.
Going to be interesting with the stiff breeze that is also forecast.

Tassie will be the place to watch with the St Helens fire burning and the warm weather also expected down there.

Got a 40-50ha fire in the plantations at Cape Bridgewater