Residents of a town in Australia are battling the invasion of the fast-growing hairy panic tumbleweed - the fuzzy, dry grass piling up outside houses, blocking windows and doors, and covering lawns.
Hairy panic tumbleweeds are short-lived, perennial weeds native to inland Australia, and they're taking over the city of Wangaratta in Northeast Victoria. People in Wangaratta are forced to clean up and clear the tumbleweeds several times a day.
"Walked out the front door this morning to find a good six-meter (19-foot) spread of tumbleweed across the front of the house - again," Jason Perna, a resident of the town, told the Australia Broadcasting Corporation. "It makes it difficult to get the car out in the morning - if you can find it."
About 20 residences on a development land called Bella Way have been affected, with the dry grass blowing over from neighboring fields. Unfortunately, authorities in Australia say their powers are limited to do anything about the tumbleweed issue.
"The council has a very limited capacity to intervene," a council spokesperson told The Guardian Australia. "But we are attempting to work with residents and nearby farmers."
Tumbleweed outbreaks take place every year across Australia.
"It's widespread," the spokesperson said. "It can happen in any town, at any time, and it does happen in Wangaratta. It just spreads from farm to farm."
This time, Wangaratta gets hit by the tumbleweed outbreak really bad. Residents say it's because of extremely dry summer conditions in the area.
An Indication Of Climate Change?
Climate Council, an independent organization in the country, revealed in a 2015 report (PDF) that Southeast Australia has experienced a 15 percent decline in late autumn and early winter rainfall. The region also experienced a 25 percent decline in average rainfall in April and May.
"Climate change is driving an increase in the intensity and frequency of hot days and heat waves in Australia, in turn increasing the severity of droughts," the report said.
Scientists say that Australia is the driest inhabited continent on the planet, but the conditions may become worse if greenhouse gas emissions are not cut in areas such as Wangaratta and other parts of Southern Australia.
