A total fire ban has been declared for Sydney and the Hunter region on Friday as scorching temperatures are set to top 40C in some areas.
Sydney is bracing for the hottest day of its summer so far on Friday with maximum temperatures of 37C forecast for the city, while in the western suburbs it’s expected to reach 41C.
It will be just as hot in the Hunter, with temperatures forecast to reach 41C in Singleton, Maitland and Cessnock.
The NSW Rural Fire Service on Thursday declared a total fire ban would be enforced across the greater Sydney and Hunter regions for Friday.
An extreme fire danger has been declared for the regions due to “forecast hot and windy conditions”, the Rural Fire Service said.
A fire ban will also be in place for the North Western and Northern Slopes regions of NSW, where it is forecast to reach 42C at Walgett and 39C in Tamworth and Gunnedah.
The NSW Rural Fire Service advised residents to check their bush fire plan to ensure their property is ready.
The authority also urged people to reconsider travelling through bushfire risk areas.
Parts of South Australia and Victoria have experienced severe and dangerous fire conditions, fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds, over the last few days.
But with a cool change coming through those areas, BOM meteorologist Dean Narramore said the heat was “returning to northern and eastern parts of NSW”.
“We could even get into the low 40s for the western parts of Sydney,” he said.
https://thewest.com.au/news/extreme-shock-declaration-for-sydney-ahead-of-summer-scorcher-c-17202072
