Sydney to swelter through hottest day this summer
Millions are bracing for scorching temperatures on their hottest day of summer so far as “extreme” fire danger looms.
Environment
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Sydneysiders are expected to swelter through their hottest day of the summer so far on Friday, with the mercury likely to soar past 40C in some areas.
The capital is forecast to reach a maximum temperature of 38C and could see possible severe thunderstorms in the afternoon, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Temperatures are likely to be even higher in the city’s west, reaching a high of 41C in Penrith.
Other parts of the state are also looking at a scorcher, with a top of 42C forecast for Singleton, Maitland, and Cessnock and 40C in Newcastle and Tamworth.
Residents are being advised to take precautions such as staying indoors and remaining hydrated.
The blistering conditions prompted the NSW Rural Fire Service to enforce a total fire ban for the greater Sydney and Hunter regions for Friday.
An extreme fire danger has been declared for those regions due to “forecast hot and windy conditions”, the Rural Fire Service said on Thursday.
A fire ban will also be in place for the North Western and Northern Slopes regions of NSW.
Sydney can expect a welcome reprieve from the heat by Friday evening, with temperatures to cool with an expected maximum of 26C on Saturday.
Residents elsewhere in NSW and the ACT are likely to see cooler maximums, with Wollongong to peak at 35C and Canberra at 29C.
Temperatures in Victoria have dropped significantly after the blistering heat of the past several days, with Melbourne likely to hit a top of 22C.
The cooler change has done little to quell the bushfires still raging in the state’s southwest, with the blaze near Grampians National Park having now torn through 74,000 hectares of land.
Maximum temperatures in Brisbane are forecast to reach 33C and a cooler 22C in Adelaide.
Originally published as Sydney to swelter through hottest day this summer
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