Updated
Greater Sydney is bracing for a dangerous day of heat
and fires, with temperatures set to climb as high as 45 degrees Celsius
in the west and firefighters on alert for "the entire perimeter of
Sydney".
Key points:
- Thursday's gusty conditions are blowing heat and smoke across Greater Sydney
- NSW Health warns people to be cautious of heat stress
- Tuesday's national weather record could be smashed again in the coming days
Gusty winds from the north-west have blown a heatwave that is gripping central Australia to the east coast.
This afternoon will bring a cool strong southerly change, with winds set to travel up to 50kph.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)'s Neil Bennett said much of the country had been affected by a "dome" of hot air.
"There is a significant burst of heat for much of the Greater Sydney [and] metropolitan [area], grading from the coast to the Western Plains, so we would be looking at temperatures of 40C for the CBD," he said.
"As we move out towards Parramatta we're looking at 42C.
"Once you get to the foothills out towards Penrith you're looking at temperatures of 45C."Areas in regional NSW are also set to swelter, with Gloucester on the mid-north coast tipped to reach 41C, Maitland in the upper Hunter 43C and Springwood in the Central Tablelands 42C.
Mr Bennett said Friday would bring some relief, but Saturday would heat up again, with mid-40-degree weather throughout the state.
"The heatwave we are predicting today and moving through into Friday and Saturday is going to be persistent," he said.
Mr Bennett said a heatwave was declared when the BOM recorded consecutive days of "abnormal" heat.
In addition to high temperatures, gusty conditions are set to bring thick smoke across Sydney, with visibility and air quality expected to be severely impacted.
"Aviation forecasts suggest that at times through the day visibility will drop to around 1,000m to 3,000m at Richmond Airport and 2,000m to 4,000m at times for Sydney Airport," ABC weather specialist Graham Creed said.
Sydney hot spots
| Max temp. | |
|---|---|
| Penrith | 45C |
| Parramatta | 42C |
| Liverpool | 43C |
SafeWork NSW executive director Andrew Gavrielatos said the heatwave brought significant risks to the health and safety of the public.
"Many people simply don't notice the symptoms of heat stress and by the time they are seriously impacted the ability to self-assess is compromised," he said.
"Employers must take heat stress seriously. Consult with your workers and take action to ensure workers are not exposed to heat stress."
Mr Gavrielatos said staying indoors could be as dangerous as being outside because the temperature in non-air-conditioned or ventilated buildings could exceed the outside temperature and they retained heat for long periods.
"You may feel weak and fatigued, have clammy skin and a headache, can't concentrate or feel confused, have slower, clumsier reaction times, slurred speech, dizziness, heart palpitations and even nausea and vomiting," he said.
"Act immediately — move to a cool place with circulating air, remove tight clothing and take off extra layers, sip water frequently and get medical advice if you don't start to feel better."
Heat is Australia's biggest natural killer, with 532 Australians dying between 2000 and 2009 from heatwave-related ailments.
Fires creeping towards residential areas
The predicted gusty, hot weather is bad news for firefighters battling about 100 bushfires across the state.The Royal Fire Service (RFS) warned the hot weather would only compound the danger posed by the 54 fires yet to be contained.
"Communities and the general public need to be prepared themselves, because these blazes won't be contained by the time this heatwave hits," RFS spokesperson Angela Burford said.
"We want to remind people that there will never be a fire truck at every house, so you need to take the initiative to prepare now. Have a plan in place."
Ms Burford said the RFS was concerned about blazes on the outskirts of Sydney, in particular the Gospers Mountain fire which was burning at emergency level on Wednesday afternoon, as well as blazes in the Blue Mountains and Green Wattle.
"These fires have the potential to flare up and run, and they have been creeping towards built-up residential areas," she said.
"These are the areas that will be of concern to us, which largely means the entire perimeter of Sydney."
Ms Burford said it was "unusual" for a total fire ban to last for four days.
"It shows how dangerous conditions are across New South Wales," she said.
Tuesday was Australia's hottest day on record, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Meteorology.
The average maximum temperature across the country was 40.9 degrees Celsius, breaking the mark of 40.3C set in January 2013,
And meteorologists say we may not have to wait long to see the record broken again.
The BOM's Paul Lainio said there was a strong chance the record could be repeatedly broken on consecutive days.
"There's a high possibility that Australia will have its hottest day on record not only for one day, but possibly four days in a row we may see the hottest day on record," he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology said 2019 was shaping up to be one of the driest and hottest years on record.
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