Much of NSW is set for a scorcher as summer draws to a close with a heatwave declared, though severe fire danger conditions in Victoria should ease.
Sydney in particular is set to swelter through Thursday with parts of the city’s west likely to reach 39°C or 40°C, while the city is expected to hit 35°C before a late cool change arrives.
‘The heat has been tracking across southern from west to east for several days,’ Weatherzone meteorologist Anthony Sharwood said.
‘On Wednesday, temperatures topped 43°C in several spots in the Mallee region in Victoria’s northwest, while temps reached 44°C in at least two locations in far western New South Wales.’
Canberra is also set to bake with a top of 34°C, which will make Thursday ‘one of the sweatiest days of the 2023/24 summer’ with the city not reaching similar temperatures since early December.
Thursday and Friday will be a scorcher for NSW with western areas to exceed 40C while Sydney’s west will get near that on Thursday
Thursday’s heat in Sydney should cool on the weekend with some summer-like beach weather
‘As of Wednesday evening, the bushfire danger for Thursday is currently rated as high in about half of New South Wales,’ Mr Sharwood said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe heatwave warning for the Mid North Coast, Hunter, Northern Tablelands, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, Central West Slopes & Plains, South West Slopes and Upper Western Districts .
In Western NSW the temperatures are expected to exceed 40C in many areas including Dubbo, Bourke and Broken Hill.
Heatwaves have also been declared for the South Interior District of WA and the North West Pastoral District of SA.
Bushfires in Victoria on Wednesday led to an evacuation order for around 30,000 people by authorities concerned a delay would make it too late to leave.
Firefighters have been battling a bushfire that started last Thursday in the rural town of Bayindeen, about 190 kilometers west of Melbourne.
The blaze was kept within containment lines overnight.
On Thursday Sydney coastal suburbs should escape the worst of the heat which will concentrate in the CBD and western suburbs
The Bureau of Meteorology declared a heatwave for most of NSW on Thursday
On Wednesday, temperatures hit 40C with wind gusts reaching 60 to 70 kilometers per hour according to an update from Jason Heffernan, chief officer at Victoria’s Country Fire Authority.
‘Extreme fire dangers are coming to fruition, and in fact we’re currently seeing catastrophic conditions in Casterdon, Hamilton and Kanagulk in the Wimmera weather district,’ he said.
‘The frontal system making its way through the state has slowed. So, we will see these winds and these temperatures stay around for a bit longer than expected. And I don’t expect this change to come through metropolitan Melbourne now until between 9 and even 10 o’clock this evening.’
Temperatures in the area are expected to be about 10C milder on Thursday providing welcome relief for firefighters.
A member of Forest Fire Management Victoria at the Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire northwest of Ballarat, Victoria on Wednesday night
The Bayindeen bushfire northwest of Ballarat has burned through more than 22,000 hectares