Sydney sizzles: city hits 34 degrees

Oct. 24, 2011, 12:12 a.m.

Seek shade ... The temperature is set to hit 34 degrees in the city today.

The hottest weather since last summer has hit Sydney and much of New South Wales with temperatures reaching the low-to-mid 30s.

After an overnight low of 18 degrees in Sydney, which was 4 degrees above average, the temperature rose to 34.3 degrees in the city by 3pm, Alex Zadnik, meteorologist team leader with Weatherzone said.

This was 12 above average and our warmest day since February 6 this year.

Many Sydney suburbs reached 33 degrees, including Badgerys Creek and Camden, but the warmest was at Penrith with 35 degrees which is 9 above average.

Sydney heated up rapidly this morning, reaching 28 in the city before 10am, 6 degrees warmer than the average October maximum, Brett Dutschke, senior meteorologist at Weatherzone, said.

The city got to 32.5 degrees last month but has not hit 34 since reaching 35.6 in February.

It was a very warm night and day across inland NSW with the minimum dropping to only 26 degrees at Broken Hill which is 15 degree above average.

Temperatures were well above 35 degrees for much of western inland NSW. The hottest spot were Bourke and Ivanhoe with both topping out at 37 degrees, which were 8 and 10 degrees above average respectively.

It was also the warmest day for both these towns since last summer.

Apart from a cooler sea breeze in the eastern suburbs this afternoon, it will stay very warm until a gusty southerly change arrives tonight.

It will cool down pretty quickly once the change arrives and there is a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm tonight.

Tomorrow, the heat will travel to northern NSW, while Sydney and the south of the state will cool to near-average temperatures with the aid of showers and storms.

This heat is being delivered by north-westerly winds blowing across western NSW, where it exceeded 35 degrees yesterday.