By Riley Walter
Thunderstorms and a deluge of rain are expected in Sydney across the last weekend of spring after a heatwave sparked warnings of mass blackouts and some of the highest temperatures in the country across parts of the city.
Up to 80 millimetres of rain could fall across Sydney on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with likely severe thunderstorms brought by a cloud band moving from west to east.
Thunderstorms are likely in Sydney after parts of the city sweltered through a heatwave.Credit: weatherzone.com.au
Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman Morgan Pumpa said thunderstorm activity would increase on Thursday afternoon before dropping off over the weekend, which would remain humid.
On Wednesday, Penrith was the hottest place in Australia, with the temperature peaking at 39.9 degrees just before 3pm.
Elsewhere, it was above 38 degrees at Sydney Airport, Sydney Olympic Park, Bankstown, Holsworthy, Horsley Park and Richmond.
The spring heatwave is Sydney’s most severe since November 2020, when the hottest day was 43 degrees at Sydney Airport. It was hot in the Illawarra and Central Coast but cooler in much of the state.
Up to 80 millimetres of rain is forecast to fall in Sydney over Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“While it’s been a hot 24 hours, that humidity is just going to feed up into that unstable atmosphere,” Pumpa said, adding that heavy rainfall could affect roads and visibility for motorists.
Sydneysiders were asked to reduce energy usage on Wednesday afternoon and evening to avoid blackouts.
Four of the 12 power generation units at the state’s coal power plants were offline for maintenance or breakdowns, while demand soared because of the need for air-conditioning.
Piping-hot tracks and equipment caused Sydney Trains to reduce rail network speeds by up to 10km/h in the west and south-west of the city between noon and 8 pm to conserve energy and reduce fire risk.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) had warned of a heightened risk of electricity blackouts for NSW from 3.30pm to 5pm, while the state government activated plans to reduce demand during the peak hours of 3pm to 8pm.
This included government agencies reducing demand by increasing the set point of air-conditioning, closing blinds, turning off non-essential lighting and turning off equipment when not in use.
It also included invoking an agreement for Water NSW, Sydney Water, Hunter Water, Central Coast Council and the City of Sydney to shift electricity usage to outside peak-demand periods.
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