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Much of New South Wales is bracing for a scorching period as summer draws to a close with a declared heatwave, although severe fire danger conditions in Victoria should ease.
Sydney in particular is forecast to be sweltering until Thursday with parts of the city’s west likely to reach 39C or 40C, while the city is expected to reach 35C before a late cold change.
“The heat has been moving across southern Australia from west to east for several days,” Weatherzone meteorologist Anthony Sharwood said.
“On Wednesday, temperatures exceeded 43C in several locations in the Mallee region of north-west Victoria, while temperatures reached 44C in at least two locations in far western New South Wales.”
Canberra will also warm up with a high of 34C, making Thursday “one of the sweatiest days of summer 2023/24” as the city hasn’t reached similar temperatures since early December.
Thursday and Friday will be hot for New South Wales as western areas of the state will exceed 40C, while Sydney’s western suburbs will approach that temperature on Thursday.
Sydney’s Thursday heat should cool over the weekend to summer-like beach weather.
“As of Wednesday afternoon, the bushfire danger for Thursday is considered high for about half of New South Wales,” Mr Sharwood said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe heatwave warning for the Central North Coast, Hunter, Northern Tablelands, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, Central West Foothills and Plains , the Southwestern Slopes and the Upper Western Districts.
In western New South Wales, temperatures are expected to exceed 40C in many areas including Dubbo, Bourke and Broken Hill.
Heatwaves have also been declared for WA’s Southern Interior District and SA’s North Western Pastoral District.
The bushfires in Victoria on Wednesday prompted an evacuation order for about 30,000 people by authorities concerned that 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 fire remained within containment lines throughout the night.
On Thursday, Sydney’s coastal suburbs should escape the worst of the heat that will be concentrated in the CBD and western suburbs.
The Bureau of Meteorology declared a heatwave for most of New South Wales on Thursday.
On Wednesday, temperatures reached 40C with wind gusts reaching between 60 and 70 kilometers per hour, according to an update from Jason Heffernan, director of the Victorian Country Fire Authority.
“Extreme fire dangers are occurring and indeed we are currently seeing catastrophic conditions in Casterdon, Hamilton and Kanagulk in the Wimmera Weather District,” he said.
‘The frontal system advancing through the state has slowed down. So we’re going to see these winds and these temperatures stick around a little longer than expected. And I don’t expect this change to happen in metropolitan Melbourne until 9 or even 10pm.’
Temperatures in the area are expected to be about 10C cooler on Thursday, bringing welcome relief to 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 more than 22,000 hectares.