Overview
- The Bureau of Meteorology has severe and extreme heatwave warnings across multiple states, including an extreme alert for the NSW south coast and severe warnings for Sydney, the Hunter, Illawarra, Southern Tablelands and the Snowy Mountains.
- Temperatures are forecast to peak Friday and Saturday with low‑to‑mid 40s in parts of the interior, 35–36C in central Sydney, and 40–41C in western suburbs, with hot nights limiting overnight cooling.
- Fire authorities have issued extreme fire danger ratings and total fire bans for parts of NSW, with about 40 grass and bush fires already burning and a risk of dry thunderstorms and lightning ignitions.
- Heat is disrupting plans and prompting precautions, with Rosehill races moved to Sunday, cricket fixtures under review, and Penrith Beach opening early to offer a cooling option.
- A strong southerly change is expected to bring relief to southern and eastern NSW late Saturday into Sunday, while northern and inland regions remain unusually hot into next week under a hotter‑than‑average summer outlook.