Stay cool! Barbecues not the only thing sizzling in Sydney today

Fire danger, high UV and temperatures in the high-30s. It’s a perfectly Aussie day for this Australia Day long weekend. However, by Tuesday afternoon it will be drastically cooler. HOW HOT WILL YOUR SUBURB GET?

It’s the perfect Aussie day for those enjoying the Australia Day public holiday.

Sydneysiders have been warned to beware Monday’s ‘extreme’ UV index – despite cloudy conditions – high temperatures and perhaps an evening thunderstorm as a heatwave looms over the state.

Much of NSW has been experiencing a low intensity heatwave since Sunday while in the northern Riverina, central west plains, northwest and northern slopes the warning is ‘extreme’.

Heatwave warning for NSW. Orange areas denote a severe heatwave and yellow denotes low intensity. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

43C has been predicted at Bourke, Broken Hill, Condoblin and Lake Cargelligo – the highest in the state – while Dubbo will be slightly cooler with a maximum 39C, while Narromine and Forbes will have a 41C day.

It will be 40C in Parkes and Temora.

Temperatures in the high-30s have been forecast across Sydney with the hottest also concentrated in the west.

Hundreds took advantage of the public holiday to cool off at Bronte Beach. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Sydney’s maximum temperature will be 31C, Penrith and Richmond will hit 37C, while it will be a few degrees cooler in Campbelltown and Liverpool with 35C forecast, and 34C at Parramatta.

It will be less intense in parts of the Central Coast and Newcastle, where Gosford and Newcastle are predicted to reach 32C.

Scone and Muswellbrook will cop a roasting with a maximum of 38C and 37C at Singleton.

Parts of Illawarra will be warm, with Wollongong reaching 29C and Albion Park 31C.

Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie will have cloudy 29C days and similar conditions with possible showers in the northern tablelands, where Armidale, Tenterfield and Glen Innes will have maximum temperatures of 29C, while further inland at Inverell it will heat up at 35C.

Hot, wet and stormy conditions for the central tablelands with 35C at Mudgee, 34C at Bathurst, 31C at Orange and a 38C scorcher at Wellington.

Tamworth will come in at 37C, while Moree, Gunnedah and Narrabri will be 38C.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a potential thunderstorm for Sydney – “possibly severe” – later in the evening, with northerly to north-easterly wind gusts up to 30km/h.

On Tuesday temperatures will peak for the week with 35C forecast in Sydney, before a cool change in the afternoon and then dropping by 10 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.

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Originally published as Stay cool! Barbecues not the only thing sizzling in Sydney today