Smoke from bushfires raging in Australia has reached Christchurch this morning.

NIWA Weather has released its latest satellite imagery, where grey-brown smoke is visible around the South Island and just offshore.

Model data shows that this plume (yellow-orange ) originates from Australia.

Fires continue to burn on Australia’s eastern coast, as bushfire season in the country grows in severity.

A heatwave has officially been declared as local media in Australia have warned of temperatures soaring above 40C.

Australian heatwaves have been dubbed the “silent killer”, claiming hundreds of lives each year with that expected to surge over the coming decades.