Extreme fire danger, dangerous winds forecast as NSW braces for record-breaking heat

A mass of warm air accumulating over the Pilbara and breaking temperature records in the outback will hit Sydney today, causing a scorching day of high winds, extreme fire danger, risk of storms and a severe heatwave warning for parts of NSW.

October temperature records were broken yesterday in the inland NSW towns of Tibooburra, where temperatures reached 42.8 degrees, and Cobar, which reached 42.4 degrees, breaking new records set the day before.

“Warmth will spread towards the east coast, with the Sydney metro area and eastern NSW experiencing their warmest day on Wednesday,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines said yesterday.

“Sydney is expected to reach 38 degrees… and temperatures in the western suburbs could approach 40 degrees.”