The sky above the Sky Tower in Auckland on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Luke Kirkness

'Eerie and scary': Smoke from Aussie bushfires turns NZ skies dark

Author: Luke Kirkness, NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2020, 12:39PM

Scores of Kiwis across the North Island are gobsmacked at the impact smoke from the Australian bushfires is having above New Zealand.

Driven by an upper-level jet of westerly winds from Australia, smoke from the raging bushfires created a hazy-orange tint over the North Island.

Auckland weather today #NOFILTER Eerie and scary #prayingforAustralia pic.twitter.com/aIqExWuF4f
— Namita (@Namita33832413) January 5, 2020

Social media quickly became awash with people posting pictures of their surroundings as if they used a sepia filter - except they hadn't.

"It's eerie and scary," one person wrote on Twitter.

"There's an orange tinge in the sky and it's heartbreaking," said another.

Authorities in Australia fear "significant damage and destruction" with dozens of buildings potentially lost as a number of bushfires rage on.

Overnight, the Rural Fire Service advised "fires were spreading quickly" particularly in southern New South Wales around Bega, Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands close to Sydney.

It’s 2pm in Auckland yet it feels like the sun is about to set. An eerie, dark orange tinted sky filled with smoke from the #Australia bushfires over 2000km away.
Climate Change Knows No Borders pic.twitter.com/HtoTLLXQOX
— Dr Michelle Dickinson (@medickinson) January 5, 2020

In NSW there are currently three emergency warnings in place for out-of-control fires. Some 143 fires were burning across NSW on Saturday night, with 3600 firefighters on the ground.

The impact of the smoke recorded in 20-minute intervals. Photo / Supplied

The skies at Titirangi around 2.30pm. Photo / Guy McGlynn

Putuki Bay. Photo / Vanessa Anderson

Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said they were receiving reports of "significant damage and destruction" on Saturday night after more than a dozen blazes reached an emergency warning alert level throughout the day. He believed property losses could run into the dozens.

More evacuation orders were issued to Victorians overnight as massive blazes continued to ravage the state's east. Dozens of fires were burning in Victoria early on Sunday, 13 of which were subject to emergency warnings, the highest alert level. Six people are missing.

A view of Auckland city from the Waiheke Island ferry. Photo / Bohdi Story

The skies above St Lukes Mall. Photo / Ella Wilks

Four Fire & Rescue NSW firefighters were injured overnight and another person has died as a result of the bushfires in NSW, with a man suffering a heart attack while trying to save his friend's home, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed.

"Very sadly one person lost their life due to a cardiac arrest just outside of Batlow last night and police have just issued details about that one deceased person and, of course, our hearts, thoughts and minds go to their families during this very difficult time," Berejiklian said in a press conference this morning.

Last week, parts of the South Island experienced the same phenomenon - which even turned Fox and Franz Josef glaciers caramel brown.

Spooky scenes above Papakura Countdown. Photo / Terry Clynes

A plane takes off into the smoke. Photo / Mutz Agnes

Cantabrians also said they were able to smell the smoke as it clogged the skies above them.

MetService meteorologist Tahlia Crabtree said as long as the fires continue, it was likely the smoke could impact our skies again.

"Hazy orange skies giving a taste of what is being seen in Australia were brought to our shores by northwest winds," Crabtree said.

"As long as these fires continue, it's not unreasonable to expect a repeat of New Year's day when the winds are blowing the right direction."

Using model wind data, the back trajectory of the smoke shows it had arched downwards from Australia over the Tasman Sea before shooting back across the North Island.

A satellite image of the North Island showed smoke first starting to make its way over the country around 2pm, with more tracking behind the first wave.

Reaching Auckland around 2pm, the skies darkened and an orange tint filtered across the city.

WeatherWatch.co.nz reported the gloomy weather would continue for the rest of the day, thickening later this afternoon.

Persistent showers and unseasonably cool temperatures were expected throughout much of the week, MetService reported.

Strong southwesterlies were set to drive in the poor weather, with a risk of thunderstorms and hail looming or much of the South Island tomorrow.

However, a brief ridge would make its way onto the country later on Thursday.

Additional reporting via News.com.au