The majority of Australians don't hear much about the Top End bushfire season, which runs from April to November during the drier months.

But the area burnt can be huge. Indeed in 2023, bushfires reportedly raged across an area which was eight times larger than the 10 million hectares scorched in southeastern Australia during the Black Summer of 2019/20.

While complete data is not yet available for the current season, Thursday's bushfire map shows numerous blazes currently burning in the NT, as has regularly been the case in recent weeks.

Source: NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services.

The scars from those fires, as well as smoke plumes, can even be seen in satellite imagery.

The video below shows a loop of a fire currently burning in the Barkly forecast district, in which the town of Tennant Creek is located.

You can also see the dark scars on the country which has been burned.

Sadly, as is the case in southern Australia, many fires burn out of control due to neglect or arson, according to a report this week in the NT News.

But the key factor influencing bushfires is still climate. As the BoM reported in its 2023 annual climate summary for the NT:

"It was an early and severe start to the bushfire season, as the dry landscape from several months of below average rainfall and warmer than average winter temperatures contributed to extreme to catastrophic fire danger conditions..."

AFAC (the Australian and New Zealand National Council for fire and emergency services) AFAC predicted an increased fire risk for the NT in spring 2024 due to:

• Healthy rainfall earlier this year and in previous years, which has enhanced vegetation growth
• Abnormally hot and windy weather towards the end of winter
• Forecast above average temperatures in spring

Source: AFAC.

The map above shows the outlook AFACF issued for the current spring, and the number of fires currently burning suggests it was on the money.

Facts on NT bushfire seasons:

• As mentioned above, the Top End bushfire season runs from April to November.
• The Central Australian fire season in southern parts of the northern Territory runs from September to March.
• This means that the two distinct NT fire seasons overlap across the state during (what southerners call) the spring months of September, October and November.
• The Central Australian fire season is similar to the season in southern Australia (where dates vary between states but it's generally October through to March, give or take a month).