![LAST YEAR: A bushfire rages near Wangi Road in western Lake Macquarie in January 2020. Picture: Wallarah Rural Fire Brigade LAST YEAR: A bushfire rages near Wangi Road in western Lake Macquarie in January 2020. Picture: Wallarah Rural Fire Brigade](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/TFWurqJd3WWgt5tunziPf4/973bd89a-c380-4bb5-9b6c-bd31fe00737f.jpg/r0_255_507_605_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A cool, wet summer has had a dramatic effect on the number of bushfires in the Hunter and across the state.
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Statistics provided by the NSW Rural Fire Service show the Hunter has recorded 851 bushfires since July 1 last year, a drop of almost two thirds compared with the 2450 in the corresponding period the previous year.
The Hunter averaged 2200 fires between July 1 and January 28 in each of the previous four years.
RFS spokesperson Greg Allan said the mild conditions had been a "welcome respite" for volunteer crews who had battled one of the worst fire seasons on record a year ago.
NSW has recorded 4738 fires this summer, down from 10,922 the year before.
Hunter bushfires
- July 1, 2020-January 28, 2021: 851
- July 1, 2019-January 28, 2020: 2450
- July 1, 2018-28 January, 2019: 1693
- July 1, 2017-28 January, 2018: 2415
- July 1, 2016-28 January, 2017: 2245
NSW bushfires
- July 1, 2020-January 28, 2021: 4738
- July 1, 2019-January 28, 2020: 10,922
- July 1, 2018-January 28, 2019: 8667
- July 1, 2017-January 28, 2018: 11,044
- July 1, 2016-January 28, 2017: 8923
Mr Allan said most of the state's fires this season had been in grass west of the Great Dividing Range, where grasses had grown quickly then dried out.
"That's been the major risk for this season," he said.
"That's not to say we won't see fires on the east coast, but obviously not to the same extent as last year.
"We've had a lot of rain, and a lot of the area had burned last year."
The Williamtown RAAF Base weather station has recorded 176 millimetres of rain in January, more than the previous four January totals combined and almost double the average.
Williamtown enjoyed 156mm of rain in December, the most since 2002, and a record 252mm in October as the La Nina weather pattern predominated.
The mean maximum temperature at Williamtown has been 28.2 degrees this month, making it the equal coolest January since 2008.
December, with a mean maximum of 26.5 degrees, was the coolest end to a year since 2011.
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