Sydney’s air quality ‘poor’ due to bushfire smoke

Sydney's air was the equivalent of smoking seven cigarettes today after southerly winds pushed heavy smoke-filled clouds over the Harbour City. In the Southern Highlights it was even worse, equivalent to about 19 cigarettes a day.

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Sydney's air was the equivalent of smoking seven cigarettes today after southerly winds pushed heavy smoke-filled clouds over the Harbour City.

The winds drove smoke from bushfires on the far south coast, south coast and Southern Highlands northwards, with poor air quality expected on Monday as well.

Smoke filled most of NSW, with Sydney's air quality classified as poor.

The worst of the conditions were in the Southern Highlands, where the air was the equivalent of smoking 19 cigarettes.

Smoke-filled clouds hung over Sydney for most of Sunday.

The southerly winds also brought a smattering of light rain on Sunday with eastern parts of the state receiving around 10mm.

The Bureau of Meteorology expects a late wind change late on Monday with an easterly wind expected to push the smoke inland and bring thunderstorms late in the week.

“With this change and the onshore flow we will be seeing this week it will be milder in terms of temperatures, we are expecting some warm days, it will be in the low 30s in the western suburbs on Wednesday,” Meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said.

“We will also see a build-up of moisture in eastern parts of the state from Thursday. We’re looking at a number of showers and thunderstorms.

“It is difficult to say the amount of rainfall as thunderstorms can be quite hit and miss. We are expecting a number of days with these conditions, however.”

A woman in Sydney trying to protect herself from the “poor” air quality.

The change in conditions is a welcome reprieve for firefighters across NSW attempting to control more than 100 blazes.

Volunteers will make the most of the cooler, wetter conditions to create and strengthen containment lines at major fires on the far south coast, Southern Highlands and south coast.