Sydney suffers a record heatwave not seen for 165 years with temperatures topping 40C as thousands flock to the beach
- Sultry Sydney though record March temperatures
- First time four days in March rose above 30C
- The New South Wales coastline will see a cool change on Monday
Sydney has set a new weather record after temperatures topped 30C for four consecutive days in March, the first time such an event has occurred in 165 years.
The Met Office forecast Sydney to hit a high of 30C on Sunday, while Penrith would swelter in 40C heat.
Richmond and Blacktown were also forecast to hit 39C.
The high temperatures are being caused by a low intensity heat wave sweeping across the region which also includes parts of south east Queensland.
Met Office senior meteorologist Felim Hannify said NCA Newswire the last time Sydney recorded such high temperatures in March was in 1878.
Sydney has experienced its warmest March on record with a record four consecutive days rising to around 30C
At that time, temperatures above 30C were recorded for three consecutive days.
“It’s a record never seen before,” Hannify said.
“Many people were nervous about the outlook shifting to El Niño later in the year, but we’re already seeing a print of those temperatures.”
Observatory Hill Station, near the southern end of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, recorded a March average of 2°C above the previous record of 27.1° set in 2006.
The Bureau forecasts isolated gusty thunderstorms with little to no precipitation possible over the Southern Ranges and foothills of New South Wales.
It warns that these conditions may exacerbate already elevated fire dangers due to the ongoing hot and dry conditions in the region.
Large areas of Victoria have already seen bushfires, but a cooler day on Sunday saw residents on the Surf Coast and in the alpine region warn that the threat had subsided.
Sky News Australia Meteorologist Rob Sharpe said NSW residents can also expect an interesting change soon.
The hot weather has led to a high bushfire danger in New South Wales and Victoria is already seeing large areas burning.
“Wet weather is going to increase again,” he said.
“A cool change is crossing Victoria, Tasmania and the New South Wales coast, arriving in Sydney on Sunday night.
‘By Monday it is noticeably cooler for the New South Wales coast.
“We won’t see this kind of heat again until we get to at least spring.”
Sharpe said that while the central and western parts of the state will continue to experience high temperatures, rain is forecast for next week.
“We will continue to see almost daily showers in the east for much of the next week, so be prepared for wet weather,” he said.
“Even though La Nina is over, it still doesn’t mean the end of wet weather.”
Hannify said the system that saw temperatures reaching the 43s in some parts of the interior west on Saturday will continue to move toward the coast.
Sydneysiders try to find some relief from Sydney’s streak of hot days at Bronte Beach in the east of the city.
“Temperatures picked up again today, we had that weather system in the southern part of New South Wales,” he said.
“It’s pulling that heat further east today, which is why it’s getting closer to 40 degrees in the western suburbs because it’s pulling closer to the coast today.”
Meanwhile, Melbourne is forecast to peak at 21 degrees on Sunday, which is about three degrees cooler than the March average.
Brisbane is forecast to hit a high of 32 degrees on Sunday.
