New VicEmergency app forecasts thunderstorm asthma risk

Thunderstorm asthma season has started and a forecasting app could help at-risk Australians dodge the potentially deadly events.

The Victorian government’s VicEmergency app and website forecasts thunderstorm asthma risk over a rolling three-day period, with different colours marking out different levels of risk.

“We now have a world-leading forecasting system,” Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said on Friday.

The season runs from October to Christmas and Ms Thomas said residents should prepare now.

“Thunderstorm asthma season has commenced. And it is a good time for anyone in our state who suffers from with either hay fever or asthma … to visit their GP,” she said.

“And make sure they’ve got a plan in place. Importantly, talk to you GP and make sure you’ve got the medications you need.”

On Friday, the risk level was marked green, which means low risk.

Thunderstorm asthma events can be fatal.

In 2016, 10 Victorians lost their lives to a catastrophic event in Melbourne, with thousands also suffering respiratory problems.

“We have learned a lot of lessons since then,” Ms Thomas said.

“I want to assure all Victorians that our ambulance and hospital services are well placed to respond to any spike in demand that we might see, should we have a thunderstorm asthma event here in the state.”

She said Victorians who were most at risk should “stay indoors” on high risk days.

“It’s really important that those people who are most at risk, stay indoors,” she said.

“That’s the safest way you can decrease the risk of a thunderstorm asthma event.”

Acting chief health officer Dr Evelyn Wong warned one in eight Victorians had asthma and some one in four suffered from hay fever.

How does thunderstorm asthma differ from regular asthma? Climate scientists Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick explains.

Thunderstorm asthma is triggered by specific weather conditions intersecting with a particular type of grass.

“Typically for Victoria this is a line of thunderstorms or a sharp cool change that comes through that can lift those pollen particles up and then break them down into smaller particles that can then get down deep into the lungs,” a bureau of meteorology meteorologist said at the press conference on Friday.

She said the outlook for thunderstorms in Victoria appeared “average” at the moment and the outlook for grass was “uncertain at the moment”.

On Friday, BOM said there was a chance of severe storms and damaging wind gusts over the Melbourne area.