Overview
- Queensland’s Birdsville hit 46.1°C and NSW’s Bourke reached 44.8°C on Tuesday, setting each state’s highest October temperature on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
- Extreme total fire bans are in force for Greater Sydney, the Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven and the Upper Central West Plains as agencies warn of fast‑moving blazes.
- Sydney is forecast to reach about 39°C today, with parts of the western suburbs possibly touching 40°C, raising the chance of the city’s hottest October day.
- Separate severe weather warnings cover Victoria and South Australia for damaging to locally destructive winds, with gusts up to about 120–130 km/h possible near exposed coasts such as Cape Otway.
- Emergency officials urge residents to secure loose items, prepare for power outages and check on vulnerable people, with the weather bureau saying conditions will ease once the system moves into the Tasman Sea.