Sydney set for its hottest day in almost two years

3 months ago 17

Sydney will swelter through its hottest day in almost two years as thousands of commuters are forced off the metro due to track work.

The temperature at Observatory Hill reached 31.4 degrees at 11am, with the heat forecast to rise to 39 degrees in the Sydney CBD and 41 degrees in Penrith by 3pm, marking Sydney’s hottest day since January 2024.

Steven Crameri beats the heat at Penrith Beach on Saturday morning.

A total fire ban is in place as the Rural Fire Service attempts to contain a fire in Bulahdelah that has burnt through 2685 hectares and is not yet under control.

The smoke from the fire has drifted across Sydney and the Central Coast, blanketing the city in a light haze which is expected to clear throughout the morning.

Residents near the Goulburn River National Park in the Upper Hunter are also being urged to prepare now while the Rural Fire Service brings a 8600-hectare fire under control.

In Dubbo, a fire on both sides of the Golden Highway is burning in an easterly direction under gusty westerly winds.

“Fire activity is likely to increase today – residents should be prepared to take action,” the Rural Fire Service said in an update on Saturday morning.

The heatwave will cause inconvenience for commuters in Sydney who are being forced onto replacement buses on the Sydney metro as Transport NSW undertakes track work between in one of the busiest sections of the line between Chatswood and Sydenham.

Trains will replace metro services between Chatswood, Epping, the CBD and Sydenham. Track work is also planned on the T4 Eastern Suburbs Line with buses replacing trains between Central and Bondi Junction.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Tristan Sumarna said the heat was being driven by a high-pressure system entering the Tasman Sea.

Sydney’s temperature is set to hit 39 degrees on Saturday.

“It’s becoming a little bit slow-moving, so it’s bringing a persistent north-westerly wind,” Sumarna said.

“That is bringing that hot, dry, continental air mass from central Australia to our part of the world, which is driving up those temperatures and lowering the relative humidity as well.”

Sydneysiders are expected to flock to the water again on Saturday including at Penrith Beach which opened a day ahead of schedule.

The swim spot nicknamed Pondi has had its hours extended, with new onsite amenities including more shade and outdoor showers in preparation for its third summer operating.

Rozema sisters Ava, 9, and Eli, 7, from Penrith, take advantage of Penrith Beach opening early.

The City of Sydney has also made all aquatic centres free to enter on Saturday as part of a summer open day.

A sharp cool change is expected to push the mercury down to 26 degrees on Sunday.

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