Scattered showers in some parts of Australia on Tuesday are bringing slight relief to the fire-ravaged country, though the favourable conditions are not expected to last long.
Rain fell down the east coast of the country, from Sydney to Melbourne, with "torrential" rain reported in some parts of NSW, BBC News reported on Tuesday.
The scattered rain was expected to continue falling until the middle of the week.
On Monday, more than 13mm of rain fell at Merimbula in NSW, with 9.8mm falling in Bega and 2mm at Nowra and Lake Conjola, reports News.com.au.
Emergency services were taking advantage of the cooler temperatures.
"Firefighters will use more favourable conditions to continue work on strengthening containment lines today, which may include backburning operations, where conditions allow," NSW Rural Fire Service wrote on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
"While our crews work to slow the spread of fire, use this time as well to prepare your property and discuss your bush fire survival plan with your family, ahead of forecast worsening conditions this Friday."
Despite the cooler conditions, haze pollution continues to be an issue in many parts of the country. On Monday evening, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said visibility was reduced to less than 1km in parts of Melbourne and surrounding areas.
The respite in the heat is only expected to last a few days, with extreme conditions set to return to the end of the week.
Authorities now fear large fires in NSW and Victoria could merge, creating a "mega blaze".
