Sydney wakes to unusually hot March morning with heatwave warning in place
Temperatures hit 28 degrees in some parts of Sydney before sunrise on Sunday on their way towards a record high of 37 degrees, prompting a heatwave warning.
Hot, dry and gusty winds from the west have heightened the risk of bushfires, and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has warned of extreme fire danger over greater Sydney and the southern slopes.
Members of the public seek respite from the heat by sheltering under awnings and umbrellas in Darling Harbour on Saturday.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
Sunday’s severe heatwave will linger until about midnight, when a cool change is expected.
A total fire ban has been declared for the Greater Sydney, Central Ranges, Southern Slopes and Southern Ranges regions.
The heat and bushfire warnings come after a series of hot days that intensified this month to peak on Saturday at 35 degrees, according to Olympic Park weather station.
Temperatures on March 1, the first day of autumn, hit 30.4 degrees, rising to 31.5 last Thursday and reaching 34 on Friday.
Temperatures today will reach 37 degrees across NSW.Credit: Weatherzone.com.au
“Today is the hottest day, and then it is the end – well, that is the hope,” said Magda Gallos-Lorenc, senior meteorologist with the bureau.
Gallos-Lorenc said Sunday’s forecast temperature was about 10 degrees higher than the March average over the past 10 years. In March 2023, it hit 38.4 degrees at the Olympic Park weather station.
