IT’S BEEN one of Sydney’s hottest-ever days with the mercury hitting 47.3 degrees in Penrith on Sunday afternoon.

Yesterday the NSW Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) revealed that Penrith had beaten Sydney’s previous record of 47 degrees, which was recorded in Richmond on February 11, 2017, at 3.25pm yesterday.

#SydneyHeat According to preliminary data #Penrith has broken the all time maximum temperature record for both this station and the Sydney Metropolitan area with 47.1 degrees at 1:55pm. Previous record 47.0 on 11/2/2017. Latest observations: https://t.co/GORSOnwOjj. — Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 7, 2018

However, the BoM later revised their statement, saying 47.8 degrees had been recorded in Richmond in 1939.

Regardless, yesterday was still Penrith’s hottest day in recorded history and one of the city’s hottest in the 158 years since records began.

But Nine News reported that the temperature may have reached as high at 48 degrees in Campbelltown, according to an electronic thermometer outside Campbelltown Performing Arts High School yesterday afternoon.

It was a scorcher right across the city, with temperatures soaring to 46.3 degrees in Richmond, 45.1 in Horsley Park, 44.8 in Holsworthy and 44.5 in Sydney Olympic Park, while the CBD reached a high of 43.4 degrees just after 1pm.

A total fire ban was issued for the Greater Sydney and Hunter regions, as much of the country struggled through the record heatwave.

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage also warned of higher than normal ozone levels, issuing an Air Quality Forecast alert of poor.

The BoM also issued a thunderstorm warning, with damaging wind gusts of over 90km/h headed for the ACT and western NSW.

Regional TS warning for people in ACT and western parts of NSW. Damaging wind gust exceeding 90km/h possible with TS. pic.twitter.com/ov8Y93BLvW — Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 7, 2018

Meanwhile, a teenage girl has been charged with deliberately lighting an “out of control” bushfire which burnt homes in Carrum Downs, Victoria yesterday.

The 15-year-old lit the blaze around 3pm on Saturday. She has since been released on bail and will face the children’s court at a later date.

A team of 300 firefighters, 50 trucks and three helicopters worked furiously to save homes from the fire, which has now been brought under control.

However, the NSW Rural Fire Service says 18 fires are yet to be contained across the state.

A devastated Rick Moss looks over what used to be his home, a huge fire in South East SA has reduced it to rubble. His family escaped with seconds to spare, with only the clothes on their backs. Just tragic. #7News pic.twitter.com/FFTcPUdWX3 — Tim Yeatman (@TimYeatman) January 7, 2018

NSW residents were warned to protect themselves against heat stroke, ozone pollution and fire dangers as a dangerous “blast furnace” moved across Australia yesterday.

Sydney became the hottest capital in the country early in the day, while large parts of southeast Australia sweltered through the extreme heat with dry, gusty north-westerly winds sending hot air from Central Australia to New South Wales, delivering the searing heat.

It was the “first extreme heat day of the year” across NSW and various parts of Australia, and emergency services were on high alert.

Ambulance Victoria state health commander Paul Holman described the conditions “like a blast furnace”.

Meanwhile, Missionbeat program manager Shane Sturgiss told the ABC Sydney’s homeless population could be moved to cooler areas to escape the dangerous heat.

“We’re particularly concerned for the welfare of older people who might have pre-existing health conditions and long term rough sleepers,” he said.

Authorities say the hot conditions are not expected to ease until Tuesday.

“The real issue is that we’re not going to see a relief in NSW until early next week, so we’re going to see sustained heat over the days and the nights,” Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson told ABC News yesterday morning that “a weak change should drop temperatures a little bit this evening, but it’s quite a short lived change and it will get warm again tomorrow ... it shouldn’t get as hot, but western parts of Sydney should see 40C tomorrow again,” the spokesperson said.

NEW SOUTH WALES:

Residents have been warned of a rise in ozone pollution and fire dangers as temperatures soar into the mid-40s in parts of New South Wales.

Temperatures are forecast to hit 40C in Sydney’s CBD. In the western suburbs, the mercury will soar to 47C in Penrith.

Sydneysiders won’t get any real relief until Wednesday, when the mercury will reach just 25 degrees with a shower or two also on the cards.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

South Australia is expected to be “substantially cooler” than yesterday, with temperatures expected to peak around 28 degrees.

Thursday will reach a weekly high of 32 degrees in Adelaide with a shower also possible.

TASMANIA:

The same is said for Tasmania after a cold front crossed the state last night. Temperatures are expected to drop after a high yesterday of 35.8 degrees, with cool and mostly dry conditions.

The hottest day of the week in Hobart will be Thursday when it reaches 29 degrees.

QUEENSLAND:

In Queensland, temperatures are forecast for a high of 32 degrees for the rest of the week.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

While Perth is less affected by the heatwave, temperatures are forecast for 31 degrees, reaching as high as 33 degrees by Tuesday.

VICTORIA:

It’s a different story entirely in Melbourne. The day was be partly cloudy, and the city reached a high of just 22 degrees yesterday.

Temperatures will hover around the low to mid-20s in Melbourne for most of the week, but will reach 34 degrees on Thursday.



NORTHERN TERRITORY:

It reached a high of just 30 degrees in Darwin yesterday, with rain and storms around. Showers and temperatures in the low 30s will continue for the week ahead.

ACT:

Canberra was hot and sunny yesterday with a high of 39 degrees. There’s some relief in store, however, with temperatures dropping to 30 degrees today with a chance of showers.

BUSHFIRE THREAT:

Meanwhile, a severe fire danger rating was issued for the greater Sydney region on Sunday while much of the rest of the state has a “very high” rating. Total fire bans are in place for Sydney and the Hunter Region.

Extreme heat and fire risk warnings have been issued for Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.

New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia bore the brunt of the heatwave yesterday with extreme conditions in Melbourne sparking a large bushfire.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

It comes as residents in South Australia described a “wall of flames” that threatened properties overnight in Keith, a small farming town in the southeast of South Australia.

The Advertiser described a “day of catastrophic conditions” as the flames tore through more than 800ha, destroying property and valuable grain crops.

A Country Fire Service crew escaped serious injury when they were trapped inside their truck as the inferno “burnt over”, while dozens of their colleagues heroically saved multiple properties.

Another bushfire in the Sherwood area in the state’s southeast destroyed two houses and four other buildings including sheds as well as livestock and pets.

The CFS battled more than 40 fires across the state on Saturday — 19 in rural areas.

Meanwhile, the South Australian Government yesterday held an urgent meeting with the provider of the emergency services smartphone app, Alerta SA.

More than 170,000 people have downloaded the app, but it struggled to cope with demand during yesterday’s “catastrophic” weather.

VICTORIA:

A 15-year-old girl has been charged over yesterday’s bushfire in Carrum Downs, Victoria.

A team of 300 firefighters, 50 trucks and three helicopters worked furiously to save homes from the fire yesterday, which has now been brought under control.

The teenager has been charged with intentionally causing a bushfire and will appear at a children’s court at a later date.

Residents told the media the fire had spread quickly.

“I saw one small fire then it just took off. It was scary,” Ray Torpy, told the Herald Sun.

NSW:

The NSW Rural Fire Service is warning residents to prepare their bushfire plans. If people are considering leaving their homes they should “leave early”, the RFS said.

NSW Health has warned people to drink plenty of water and limit their time outdoors because of a rise in ozone pollution as a result of the hot, still weather.

Sydney is forecast to have poor air quality on Sunday which can especially affect people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. “Ozone levels are higher outdoors than indoors, so limiting time outside during the heat of the day and in the evening would help people to keep cool and to limit their exposure to ozone pollution,” Environmental health director Dr Ben Scalley said in a statement on Saturday.

Dr Scalley also warned of the dangers of a heatwave which put strain on the body, can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn on Saturday revealed the state’s heatwave plan had been activated to ensure a co-ordinated response from emergency services.

“We know over the next two or three days we’re going to experience severe to extreme heat conditions throughout NSW,” she said before reminding people it was an offence to leave children or pets in vehicles.

“Cars become a furnace very, very quickly in this type of heat.” Surf Life Saving NSW has implored people heading to the beach to take care given there have been 10 drownings since the beginning of December. A 48-year-old is fighting for his life after he was found face down in the water at Sandon Point Beach on Saturday.

In a separate incident, a 35-year-old man was taken to hospital in a stable condition after being pulled semiconscious from the Hawkesbury River at Lower Portland.

— With AAP