Beautiful city loved by Brits becomes hottest in the world at 43C | World | News
Sydney has now officially been crowned the hottest place on the planet after last weekend’s heatwave sent temperatures to a staggering 43.5 degrees. The iconic Australian city, a perennial favorite of British expats and sun-seeking tourists alike, hit the new record last Saturday. While Britons shivered through a humid January, Sydneysiders were thrust into unbearable summer heat.
According to local reports, the highest temperature was recorded at the Holsworthy military base in the southwest of the city, where the mercury reached 43.5 degrees. The readings briefly made the Harbor City the hottest spot in the world, surpassing even the usual hotspots in Africa and the Middle East.
Another significant record this year was the first time in thirteen years that Sydney reached temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius twice in a single summer, following the blistering heat experienced in December. The heat wave also caused forest fires, which were later slowed by authorities.
“We are losing people in these incredibly hot days,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said, adding that extreme heat was causing deaths in Australia.
The weather has already cooled down to a more comfortable 26C. According to the Met Office, a 60% chance of showers are expected throughout the day in the city over the weekend.
Geographically, Sydney acts as a natural heat trap. While the eastern suburbs benefit from Pacific breezes, the sprawling western plains are ringed by the Blue Mountains, which block cooling air and allow hot, dry winds from the desert interior to accumulate in the suburbs.
This, combined with the modern urban heat island of dark roofs and asphalt, creates a staggering temperature difference where inland areas such as Holsworthy and Penrith can be up to 10 degrees warmer than the coast.
