SPORTS Updated Jan. 17, 2020 12:52 PM
Dangerous air quality and periods of rain and thunderstorms that impacted the qualifying round can lead to disruptions for the Australian Open. The annual tennis tournament will kick off on Monday, Jan. 20, and continue into the beginning of February.
The first official day of tournament play will be unsettled as a storm passing through southeastern Australia brings periods of showers and thunderstorms.
Periods of heavy rain or lightning strikes could prompt delays or force matches to be moved indoors.
Mainly dry conditions will return on Tuesday for the second day of play. Outside of a stray shower or two, much drier conditions are expected as the storm moves away while the high temperature on Tuesday will climb to around 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit).
Dry conditions will continue into Wednesday, while a north to northeasterly wind will help temperatures to climb to 30 C (86 F). The normal temperature for the middle of January is 26 degrees Celsius (around 78 degrees Fahrenheit).
A storm system passing by to the south of Australia during the second half of the week can bring isolated showers to the Melbourne area on Thursday. Temperatures will also be knocked down a few degrees.
Dry weather is forecast to return through the end of the week and into the weekend to wrap up the first week of the tournament.
Whether or not it will rain will not be the only forecast closely scrutinized for the tournament. Air quality will also determine if games will be postponed or moved indoors.
Controversy rose this past week as qualifiers began amid smoky conditions in Melbourne. Matches were postponed and several athletes shared concerns over the safety of the conditions.
"The more I think about the conditions we played in a few days ago, the more it boils my blood," British player Liam Brody posted on Twitter. "We can't let this slide. The email we received yesterday from the ATP and AO was a slap in the face, conditions were 'playable'. Were they 'healthy'?"
Rain arrived later in the day on Wednesday, improving the air quality as well as aiding in the containment of fires across the state.
Most fires around Melbourne, especially to the east, are currently small and may have little to no impact on air quality to start the tournament.
The concern will be when winds turn out of the northeast late Tuesday and into Wednesday. This could pull smoke into the area from the "megafire" in the eastern part of Victoria, and air quality can deteriorate throughout the day.
If this occurs, it will likely be short-lived as a storm is expected to sweep through the region on Thursday.
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