Aussies have endured a sweltering end to summer, with above-average temperatures expected to persist well into autumn.
Temperatures soared above 30C across much of Australia on Thursday as thousands of people flocked to beaches to escape the heat.
Sydney fell just short of its hottest leap day on record, as Penrith and Richmond in the city’s west reached 40°C.
Bondi Beach was packed with Sydneysiders and tourists seeking refuge from the sweltering heat.
Canberra was also sweltering on one of the hottest days of the summer, while Perth, Darwin and Brisbane also saw temperatures above 30 degrees.
A severe heatwave warning remains in force for much of NSW, including the Hunter, Mid North Coast, Northern Tablelands, South Coast and Central Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, Upper Western Districts and Central West Slopes and Plains.
Sydneysiders flocked to Bondi Beach on Thursday to escape the sweltering heat as parts of inland NSW reached 40 degrees
Sydneysiders flocked to Bondi Beach to escape the sweltering heat
Much of NSW is in the midst of a late summer heatwave
“The extra summer day certainly dealt a blow to most of the country as hot air moved down through southern and western NSW and worked its way through Victoria and Tasmania,” BOM meteorologist Kate Doyle told Daily MailAustralia.
“Many parts of NSW saw temperatures six to eight degrees above average, while parts of western and inland Sydney saw temperatures above 40 degrees.”
It comes after the city experienced its third hottest summer on record, with 18 days above 30°C recorded on Observatory Hill.
Canberra saw a top of 32°C, labeled ‘one of the sweatiest days of the 2023-2024 summer’, with the city not reaching comparable temperatures since early December.
Perth and Darwin reached 34, while Brisbane recorded 31 and Adelaide 29.
Perth also experienced its third hottest summer on record, with the capital experiencing seven days above 40 degrees in February alone, while nighttime temperatures in Brisbane were the hottest on record.
Brisbane has been sweltering for 60 consecutive nights, with the minimum temperature not dropping below 20°C.
Beachgoers at Bondi stayed hydrated as temperatures soared above 32°C
Sydneysiders have endured the city’s third hottest summer on record.
Bondi Beach was packed with Sydneysiders and tourists seeking refuge from the sweltering heat
It was 26 degrees Celsius in Melbourne on Thursday, with much of the state’s west still burning.
Even with a change happening across Australia, the warm weather will continue for a while.
“There is a chance that warmer conditions will persist as the long-term forecast predicts an 80 per cent chance of higher temperatures in March,” Ms Doyle said.
‘We still have a while to go and expect warm conditions as we transition into autumn.’
Unsettled conditions will work their way across the country, with Sydney expected to see cooler temperatures over the weekend.
Above average temperatures will continue across inland NSW and SA as the heat moves into southern Queensland.
Unsettled conditions will work their way across the country, with Sydney seeing cooler temperatures this weekend
The Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire broke out on February 22 and continues to burn, putting several towns between Ballarat and Ararat under watch and warning.
Meanwhile, fire danger warnings remain in force as Victoria continues to battle an ongoing bushfire battle.
Conditions in the far western fire district of Wimmera were classified as catastrophic on Wednesday, with more than 30,000 residents living in fire risk zones urged to leave their homes.
The Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire broke out on February 22 and continues to burn, putting several towns between Ballarat and Ararat under watch and warning.
A member of Forest Fire Management Victoria at the Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire northwest of Ballarat, Victoria on Wednesday evening
