Sweltering Sydney forced to close schools as heatwave rips across NSW

Up to 20 schools across NSW have been forced to close as the NSW Rural Fire Service issues extreme warnings for western parts of the state.

A number of schools across NSW are being forced to close their doors from today with extreme heat and then wet weather settling in over Sydney this weekend

Parts of Australia are set to face scorching conditions, with western NSW most at risk from the heat.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has warned of high winds across the western part of the state, which will add further risk of bushfires in areas such as Broken Hill.

The BOM has also urged residents to check for any severe storm warnings for Saturday, as parts of western NSW may bear the brunt of strong winds coming through South Australia and Victoria.

NSW will struggle through a brutal heatwave over December 8-11. Picture: Weatherzone

In a statement from the NSW Department of Education, the decision to close down 19 schools was made after consultation with the NSW Rural Fire Service.

“The decision to temporarily close schools is not one that is made lightly. It is always done with the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students in mind.

We encourage parents and carers to always follow the advice of Police and Emergency Services during periods of heightened bushfire risk.

We will continue to update our school communities as soon as we receive advice from the State Emergency Operations Centre and the NSW Rural Fire Service.”

When contacted by The Daily Telegraph, a Little Athletics NSW spokesperson said that all events were resuming as scheduled.

All Cricket NSW games are also going ahead as planned at the time of writing.

The list below contains all schools and events that are cancelled from Friday to Sunday and will be updated as further cancellations occur.

LIST OF NSW SCHOOLS CANCELLED ON FRIDAY DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS:

Barellan Central School

Binya Public School

Clare Public School

Coleambally Central School

Darlington Point Public School

Goolgowi Public School

Hillston Central School

Lake Wyangan Public School

Narrandera East Infants School

Narrandera High School

Palinyewah Public School

Pooncarie Public School

Rankins Springs Public School

Tharbogang Public School

Wamoon Public School

Whitton-Murrami Public School

Yanco Public School

Yenda Public School

Yoogali Public School

Originally published as Sweltering Sydney forced to close schools as heatwave rips across NSW