NSW weather: Sydney fire ban as heatwave sweeps across city

NSW will continue to swelter through severe heatwave conditions with temperatures forecast to edge towards 40C triggering fire bans on Thursday.

A total fire ban has been issued for parts of NSW with hot and windy weather conditions to edge towards 40C on Thursday.

Extreme fire danger warnings are in place for Greater Sydney and the Greater Hunter as another heatwave sweeps across the state.

“Hot conditions with fresh northwesterly winds ahead of a southerly change developing in the south, reaching the Greater Sydney Region late at night, with southerly winds gusty along the coast,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.

There is a chance thunderstorms will hit on Thursday afternoon.

The mercury is expected to hit 38C in the city and 40C across suburbs in the west and southwest including Penrith, Campbelltown, Camden and Richmond.

Thousands are expected to flock to the beach. Picture: Dean Tirkot/news.com.au

“Maximum temperatures in the high thirties and low forties, reaching the high twenties to mid thirties over higher terrain,” the Bureau of Meteorology forecast.

“Overnight minimum temperatures in the low to mid twenties, reaching the high teens to low twenties over higher terrain.”

We are currently monitoring thunderstorms tracking in an easterly direction across NSW to the Great Dividing Range. They've already sparked fires in the Carrathool area, in south western NSW. If you see an unattended fire, please report it immediately to Triple Zero (000). #RFS pic.twitter.com/RFh3jbBTjb

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 13, 2023

December’s maximum temperatures are climbing up to 5C above normal, marking one of our hottest starts to summer.

The severe heat comes after parts of Sydney recorded their hottest December day on record last Saturday.

“Sydney Airport’s peak of 43.5°C just after 1pm beat the old mark of 43.2°C which had stood since 1994,” reported website Weatherzone.

“Several locations in the city’s outer west got hotter than Sydney Airport, including the site of Sydney’s future second major airport at Badgerys Creek, which reached 44.0°C.”

Severe heatwave warnings have been issued for the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter, Illawarra, South Coast, Central West Slopes & Plains, Riverina and Upper Western Districts.

Firefighters are currently battling 74 bush and grass fires, with two not yet under control.

Crews will be on high alert on Thursday with temperatures set to reach up to 40C.

Thousands are expected to flock to Sydney’s beaches to provide relief to the soaring temperatures but lifeguards have urged the public to cool off at patrolled beaches.

It comes far north Queenslanders are being warned of potentially “life-threatening” flooding as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Jasper power through the state, bringing 140km/h winds and deluges in the hundreds of millimetres.

TOTAL FIRE BAN ISSUED FOR:

Greater Sydney region, which includes the following council areas: The Hills; Blacktown; Blue Mountains; Burwood; Camden; Campbelltown; Canada Bay; Fairfield; Hawkesbury; Hornsby; Hunters Hill; Kogarah; Ku-ring-gai; Lane Cove; Liverpool; Mosman; North Sydney; Parramatta; Penrith; Randwick; Ryde; Strathfield; Sutherland; Sydney; Waverley; Willoughby; Woollahra; Bayside; Canterbury-Bankstown; Central Coast; Cumberland; Georges River; Inner West; Northern Beaches; and

Greater Hunter region, which includes the following council areas: Cessnock; Dungog; Lake Macquarie; Maitland; Muswellbrook; Newcastle; Port Stephens; Singleton; Upper Hunter.

Originally published as NSW weather: Sydney fire ban as heatwave sweeps across city