Overview
- The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed Birdsville reached about 46C on Tuesday, surpassing Queensland’s previous October mark by roughly one degree.
- The NSW Rural Fire Service enacted an extreme total fire ban for Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven and the Upper Central West Plains.
- Meteorologists describe a 'bubble' of interior heat over western Queensland, north-west New South Wales and northern South Australia as parts of Queensland face several more days near or above 40C.
- Conditions are forecast to ease in Birdsville as a trough brings cooler southerly winds, but isolated severe heat is expected around Kilcoy, Kingaroy and the northern Wide Bay.
- Other exceptional October highs included Bourke at 44.8C, Thargomindah at 45.1C and Tibooburra at 42.8C, while Sydney is forecast to approach 39C and could challenge its October record.