Sydney’s CBD has recorded its highest temperature in nearly two years as the east coast of NSW experiences its first heatwave of the summer, while fire authorities in Tasmania and NSW battled bushfires.
Temperatures at Observatory Hill in the Sydney CBD reached 37.8C on Friday, the highest since 26 January 2024, while Penrith Lakes in the city’s west hit 40.3C, the hottest day since 28 January this year.
The heatwave expected to peak on Saturday, when the temperature in the city is forecast to reach 37C again. If this occurs it would be the first time since November 2020 with consecutive 37C days in the CBD.
Penrith is forecast to reach 41C on Saturday which would be the the first time since December 2023 with consecutive 40C days in the area.
Sign up: AU Breaking News email
Heatwave warnings remain in place for parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland. Western Australia’s Pilbara, Kimberley and North Interior regions have been upgraded to extreme heatwave warnings.
Bushfires in NSW and Tasmania
An uncontrolled 700 hectare fire at Dolphin Sands in Tasmania’s east damaged 19 homes, 15 outbuildings and four vehicles and destroyed 30 power poles, the state fire service and TasNetworks confirmed. It is expected some customers could be without power for a week.
Easing threat from a separate fire around Glenlusk, near Hobart, meant residents could return with caution. Locals near Levendale, 50km north of Hobart, were warned to monitor conditions amid fast-changing conditions that saw the Tasmania Fire Servicewithdraw orders to prepare to leave.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has declared a total fire ban for nine regions commencing at midnight due to forecast hot and windy conditions on Saturday.
A bushfire at Bulahdelah on the NSW mid north coast eased on Friday evening, allowing traffic to partially resume, after forcing the closure of a 100km stretch of the Pacific Highway as it burned on both sides.
Firefighters warned the highway could be closed again and strengthened containment lines at a separate under-control 7,139 hectare bushfire at Milsons Gully in the Upper Hunter ahead of forecast hot and windy weather on Saturday.
A grass fire in the Beni area near Dubbo also eased and firefighters contained a blaze in Burrangong, nearly 300km south.
Soaring temperatures
In NSW, temperatures had reached 31C in the Sydney CBD and Richmond by 10am Friday and 33C at Olympic Park and are expected to reach the 30s again early on Saturday.
“It’s got very hot, very early. We’ve had those winds coming from the west really heating things up quite quickly,” the Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How said.
Severe heatwave warnings remain in place for the Hunter, metropolitan, Illawarra, central tablelands and southern tablelands regions, while an earlier extreme heatwave warning – indicating the highest level of risk – on the south coast was downgraded on Friday afternoon to severe. The severe heatwave warning that had been in place for the Snowy Mountains region has been cancelled.
By early Friday afternoon, Sydney’s CBD had reached 37.8C – the highest since January last year – while other areas had soared above 39C including Penrith (40.3C), Richmond (39.6C) and Badgerys Creek (39.3C).
Mangrove Mountain on the Central Coast had reached 39.2C, Gosford 38.1C and Cessnock airport 39.7C. In the far west, the temperature had hit 39.7C in Walgett and 40.8C in Bourke, while other parts of the region had recorded temperatures of 42C.
Australia’s national annual average temperature is about 1.5C higher than in 1910, according to the BoM, and the climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
Extreme fire danger warnings were in place for areas including Sydney and the Hunter.
What to expect this weekend
How said high minimum temperatures were forecast in the greater Sydney region on Friday night, with temperatures unlikely to drop below 21C in the city and 23C in the west.
He said the peak of the heatwave was expected on Saturday, when temperatures could be above 30C by 9am.
“The other thing for tomorrow for Sydney, because it’s going to be so hot and unsettled, we’ll see some thunderstorms in the early evening,” How said.
“The concern will be dry lightning, which could start new fires.”
The bureau has issued a severe heatwave warning for the Gulf Country in Queensland’s north-west and severe heatwave warnings remain in place Daly and Gregory regions of the NT. The severe heatwave warning for the Tiwi Islands has been cancelled. WA’s Pilbara region was upgraded to an extreme heatwave warning on Friday and the Kimberley and North Interior regions were also upgraded to this level on Friday afternoon.
How said areas inland from Broome, including Fitzroy Crossing and the inland Kimberley were expected to reach 45C on Friday and Saturday and 46C on Sunday and Monday.
In Victoria, temperatures were cooler in Melbourne on Friday but were forecast to reach the high 30s in the state’s north, including the Mallee region in the north-west where the Country Fire Authority has declared a total fire ban.
How said a cool change was expected to move through the NSW coast from Saturday evening but was unlikely to reach Sydney until early on Sunday morning, bringing some light showers through the day.
He said a cold front would push through Victoria and Tasmania on Saturday, bringing showers and thunderstorms, and some snow was expected in Tasmania on Saturday evening down to about 1,000 metres.
