Sydney to hit 34C as heatwave blankets eastern NSW and southern Queensland

Large parts of NSW including Sydney and southern Queensland are experiencing a heatwave. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Large parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland are experiencing a heatwave, with extreme risk of fires around Sydney, health warnings for the effects of prolonged heat and the chance of destructive storms.

Temperatures in Sydney are forecast to hit 34C on Saturday, but further west it will be hotter still, with Penrith set for 36C and Richmond 36C, the Bureau of Meteorology said.