Following the wettest September on record for New South Wales and a drier than average October, November has started off on a dry note. This natural drying trend has been conducive to the formation of bushfires over some parts of the state over recent days. A large bushfire nearby Penrith yesterday charred over 300 hectares of land as it burned out of control according to the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). Today, another bushfire close to Cessnock is yet to be controlled (as of 15:00 EDT). The RFS has issued a Total Fire Ban for the North Coast and Far North Coast fire areas. The southern Australia 2016 bushfire outlook, issued by the Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC, indicates an above normal bushfire potential across the majority of NSW and a delayed start to the bushfire season. It is important to note that this does not rule out the emergence of bushfires early in the season, as we have seen over parts of the Sydney Basin and Hunter over recent days. Hot and dry conditions are forecast for the early part of next week across much of NSW, but wetter weather is on the horizon from Wednesday, which will temporarily reduce the fire potential. For further information on bushfires in NSW follow the link below: http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/