Large parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland are experiencing a heatwave, with extreme risk of fires around Sydney, health warnings for the effects of prolonged heat and the chance of destructive storms.
Temperatures in Sydney are forecast to hit 34C on Saturday, but further west it will be hotter still, with Penrith set for 36C and Richmond 36C, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
A bureau forecaster also warned there could be a repeat on Saturday and Sunday afternoons of destructive storms that hit south-east Queensland and north-east NSW on Friday night, with wind gusts of 169km/h recorded in Brisbane.
NSW Ambulance said it was expecting an extra 300 emergency calls a day in the coming months due to the heat and advised people to stay indoors where possible and restrict any physical activity to the early mornings.
Heatwave conditions are blanketing an area stretching from south-east Queensland to south of Sydney. Parts of the NSW north-west slopes could reach 40C on Saturday.
Many inland areas in the central and northern parts of Western Australia could also see temperatures hitting the mid-40s on Saturday, bureau forecasts showed.
The NSW Rural Fire Service issued total fire bans on Saturday for greater Sydney, the state’s north-west, the northern slopes, the central ranges, greater Hunter, and the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region.
More than 50 bush and grass fires were burning across the state, but all were under control or being controlled.
The BoM senior forecaster Angus Hines said: “It’s a hot day for eastern parts of the country, especially north-east NSW and south-east Queensland, with temperatures above average for day and night times.”
He said winds of 20-40km/h were forecast in areas of fire risk, which, while not extreme, were enough to raise the danger levels.
Overnight temperatures in south-east Queensland were up to 5C above average. Conditions were humid and there could be more storms on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for the area, as well as north-east NSW.
On Friday night, destructive storms hit south-east Queensland, with 169km/h wind gusts recorded in the Brisbane suburb of Archerfield.
Storms dumped more than 100mm of rain in some areas. Heatwave conditions will start to taper off on Tuesday, Hines said.
The NSW Ambulance acting station officer Jacqueline Kibble said on Saturday the service was expecting a 10% rise in the number of triple-zero calls, equating to an extra 300 emergency calls each day.
She said residents should stay indoors, use fans or air-conditioning and restrict any physical activity to early mornings, when the heat was more tolerable.
On Friday, NSW health authorities reminded people of the greater risk of dehydration and heat-related conditions, recommending people look for shade, drink plenty of water and wear loose-fitting sun-protective clothing.
