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In
Sydney, capital of Australia's most populous state New South
Wales, temperatures hit 34.2 degrees Celsius (93.5 degrees
Fahrenheit) at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport - more than 12
degrees above the September mean, according to Bureau of
Meteorology data.
The heat burst came after the forecaster said this week that
indicators of an El Nino weather event had strengthened and it
would likely develop between September and November, bringing
hotter, drier conditions to Australia.
The weather bureau said the "early period of heat" in many parts
of the country was "very uncommon during September".
"These temperatures will intensify from Sunday through Tuesday,"
it said on Facebook, with temperatures 8 to 16 C (46.4 to 60.8
F) above average.
"Record September daytime and nighttime temperatures are
expected from Sunday through Thursday across inland areas of
South Australia, New South Wales and northeast Victoria."
El Nino can prompt extreme weather events from wildfires to
cyclones and prolonged drought, with Australian authorities
already warning of heightened bushfire risks this summer.
A thick smoke haze blanketed Sydney for several days this week
as firefighters carried out hazard reduction burns to prepare
for the looming bushfire season.
At Bondi beach, Sydney resident Bella Callaghan was concerned
about how hot it could get in coming months.
"We need extra strong sunscreen," she said.
Another local, Danielle Vangou, was worried about runners in the
Sydney marathon, set to take place on Sunday.
"I'll be thinking about them tomorrow while I'll probably be
here swimming, but it's gonna be tough for sure for them, so
hopefully they have a bit of reprieve."
Australia's last two fire seasons have been quiet compared to
the catastrophic 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of bushfires that
destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith and Cordelia Hsu in Sydney; Editing by
Tom Hogue)
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