It may only be September, but Canberra got a taste of summer on Saturday as the city smashed a 52-year-old temperature record.

The city recorded its hottest ever September day, with the mercury rising to a top of 30.2 degrees just after 3pm.

Visiting from Newcastle, Jeff Endresz bought ice from a supermarket in Dickson, while a nearby bottle shop had sold out. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

The temperature exceeded the initial forecast of 29 degrees, with the maximum being 1.2 degrees above the previous highest September temperature recorded in 1965.

Ashleigh Lange from the Bureau of Meteorology said the recent warm weather in the capital is due to a large front in western NSW.