A map has shown a huge "rain bomb" falling on Australia. This is welcome news for the country which been ravaged devastating bushfires. A state of emergency was declared earlier this month, and it has been estimated that upwards of a billion animals have lost their lives, as per the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/14/a-billion-animals-the-australian-species-most-at-risk-from-the-bushfire-crisis">Guardian.</a> The Australian state declares a bushfire emergency:  [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/CZLDD6OX-YXhMkIor.mp4||CZLDD6OX]] Relief came from the east of the country, which is currently experiencing thunderstorms and a huge "rain bomb". There have also been high winds that have damaged homes, the Victoria Bureau of Meteorology revealed on <a href="https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1217593254411153408">Twitter</a>. The <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7892827/Horror-map-shows-storms-closing-Australia.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">MailOnline</a> reports that on Wednesday, Melbourne was hit by storms that soon moved into Sydney, with the suburb of St Albans receiving a month's worth of rain in half an hour. Chris Hemsworth made a pledge to the Australian fire services: [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/FvsEPU87-sKUnNGKf.mp4||FvsEPU87]] And there is reportedly even more rain to come. A second weather system has been forecast to hit Victoria, South Australia, and western New South Wales on Monday. While this will bring welcome relief to those affected by the bushfires, it could create supercell storms. Weatherzone released the following map which demonstrates the extent of the rainfall. <img class="wp-image-12575095 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2020/01/0f46dd47-rain-1.jpg" alt="A weathermap." width="760" height="448" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Weatherzone]] Sky News Weather chief meteorologist, Tom Saunders, said: "By Monday, a cut-off low-pressure system will bring widespread heavy rain. We could see widespread severe weather with damaging wind gusts, further flash flooding and we could even see supercell storms. So there's going to be some big rain." This woman risked her life to rescue a burnt kola from a bushfire: [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/8KhQXoHp-Q0L14jDU.mp4||8KhQXoHp]] As per the <a href="http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/svr/type/spr/home.rxml" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">University of Illinois</a>, a supercell storm is "a thunderstorm with a deep rotating updraft (mesocyclone)" and is "the most dangerous because of the extreme weather generated." Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said of the surging pattern: "While this type of weather pattern is not unusual for this time of year, it's the first widespread rain and storm event we've seen in eastern Australia so far this season. Showers and storms will start to increase over Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria from Wednesday and continue to effect parts of eastern Australia each day, until at least early each next week." Pictured below is a helicopter dropping water on the bushfires on Kangaroo Island. <img class="wp-image-12575096 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2020/01/46912a70-rain-2.jpg" alt="A helicopter dropping water on the bushfires on Kangaroo Island. " width="760" height="448" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]] Between 30 and 80mm of rain is estimated to fall over New South Wales during the next four days, the Bureau of Meteorology estimates, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-14/rain-forecast-for-the-firegrounds/11862878">ABC</a> reports. Inspector Ben Shepherd of the NSW Rural Fire Service said: "It's the most positive forecast the RFS has had in months and will give crews a chance to regroup and work on containment lines." How you can donate: The NSW Rural Fire Service has multiple options for direct donations. You can donate to the RFS as a whole, or to specific brigades. You can donate through bank transfer, credit card or cheque. For bank transfers, there is a set bank account (Account Name: NSW Rural Fire Service, BSB: 032-001, Account No: 171051). This account is for the RFS as a whole.  <a class="u-underline" href="https://quickweb.westpac.com.au/OnlinePaymentServlet?cd_community=NSWRFS&cd_currency=AUD&cd_supplier_business=DONATIONS&action=EnterDetails" data-link-name="in body link">This link</a> will take you to the landing page for credit card donations. You can donate to the RFS general fund or choose specific brigades from the dropdown box. In Queensland, Fire and Rescue advise that you can donate both money and items through the <a class="u-underline" href="http://www.givit.org.au/" data-link-name="in body link">website givit.org.au</a>. The website allows fire-affected communities to list what they specifically need, from water tanks in Yeppoon to school uniforms in Zillmere. In Victoria, the Country Fire Authority has <a class="u-underline" href="https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/supporting-cfa" data-link-name="in body link">two bank accounts</a> - one for specific brigades and one for the general fund. In South Australia, the Country Fire Service accepts donations through the CFS Foundation. You can <a class="u-underline" href="https://cfsfoundation.org.au/donate" data-link-name="in body link">donate to them here</a>. You can also<a class="u-underline" href="https://cfsfoundation.org.au/support-us/leave-a-bequest/" data-link-name="in body link"> leave a bequest</a>. If you cannot find the particular brigade you are looking for, you can contact them directly.

Map shows huge 'rain bomb' falling on Australia

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