Fire danger ratings in Australia
Today's Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) ratings by district — updated . A rating tells you how dangerous a fire would be if one started today. In an emergency call 000.
3 districts at High or above today (3 High, 0 Extreme, 0 Catastrophic).
Moderate High Extreme Catastrophic
What each rating means
Moderate
Plan and prepare. Most fires can be controlled. Stay up to date and be ready to act if a fire starts.
High
Be ready to act. Fires can be dangerous. If a fire starts, your life and property may be at risk — the safest option is to avoid bushfire-risk areas.
Extreme
Take action now to protect your life and property. Fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous. Check your bushfire plan.
Leave Catastrophic
For your survival, leave bushfire-risk areas. These are the most dangerous conditions — if a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost. Leaving early is the safest option.
Ratings by district
NSW
| District | Today | Tomorrow | Total fire ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Hunter | High | Moderate | No |
| Northern Slopes | High | High | No |
| North Western | High | High | No |
| Far North Coast | Moderate | Moderate | No |
| North Coast | Moderate | Moderate | No |
| Greater Sydney Region | Moderate | Moderate | No |
| Illawarra/Shoalhaven | Moderate | No Rating | No |
| Monaro Alpine | Moderate | No Rating | No |
| ACT | Moderate | No Rating | No |
| Southern Ranges | Moderate | No Rating | No |
| Central Ranges | Moderate | Moderate | No |
| New England | Moderate | Moderate | No |
| Upper Central West Plains | Moderate | Moderate | No |
| Far Western | Moderate | No Rating | No |
| Far South Coast | No Rating | No Rating | No |
| Lower Central West Plains | No Rating | No Rating | No |
| Southern Slopes | No Rating | No Rating | No |
| Eastern Riverina | No Rating | No Rating | No |
| Southern Riverina | No Rating | No Rating | No |
| Northern Riverina | No Rating | No Rating | No |
| South Western | No Rating | Moderate | No |
Ratings are shown for each district as its state or territory fire agency publishes them.
How fire danger ratings work
Since 2022 all of Australia uses one national scale — the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) — with four action levels (Moderate, High, Extreme, Catastrophic) plus “No Rating” on benign days. The rating combines the day's forecast weather (temperature, humidity and wind) with the type of vegetation, or fuel, in each area, so the same weather can produce a different rating in grassland, forest or scrub. It describes how a fire would behave if one started — not whether one will.
Ratings are usually issued the afternoon before and cover a fire-weather district, which is why this page groups them by state and district rather than by town. On the most dangerous days a total fire ban is declared as well — a separate legal restriction on lighting fires. Know your rating, know your plan, and leave early on Catastrophic days.
Frequently asked questions
What is the AFDRS?
The Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS), introduced in 2022, tells you how dangerous a fire would be if one started today. It has four levels — Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic — plus “No Rating” when conditions are benign.
Is a fire danger rating the same as a total fire ban?
No. The rating describes potential fire behaviour; a total fire ban is a legal restriction on lighting fires. High ratings often coincide with a total fire ban, but they are decided separately.
What should I do at each rating?
See the cards above. In short: Moderate — plan and prepare; High — be ready to act; Extreme — act now to protect life and property; Catastrophic — leave bushfire-risk areas for your survival.
What happened to Low-Moderate, Very High, Severe and Code Red?
Those were part of the old rating scales used before 2022. The national AFDRS replaced them with a simpler four-level scale (Moderate, High, Extreme, Catastrophic) plus “No Rating” on benign days, so the rating maps directly to action.
How are the ratings calculated?
AFDRS combines the day’s forecast weather (temperature, humidity, wind) with the type of vegetation (fuel) in each area, so the same weather can produce different ratings in grassland, forest or scrub. Ratings are issued by the fire agencies, usually the afternoon before.
Why is my district showing “No Rating”?
“No Rating” means conditions are benign enough that no elevated fire danger is expected — common outside the fire season. It does not mean a fire is impossible, so still take care with anything that could start one.