Aussies have sweltered through a scorching end of summer with above-average temperatures set to continue well into autumn.
Temperatures soared above 30°C across much of Australia on Thursday as thousands flocked to the beach to escape the heat.
Sydney fell just short of hitting its hottest leap day ever as Penrith and Richmond in the city’s west hit 40°C.
Bondi Beach was packed with Sydneysiders and tourists seeking refuge from the blistering heat.
Canberra also sweltered through one of its hottest days of the summer, while Perth, Darwin and Brisbane also saw 30-plus temperatures.
A severe heatwave warning remains in place for much of NSW including the Hunter, Mid North Coast, Northern Tablelands, South Coast and Central Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, Upper Western Districts, and Central West Slopes and Plains.
Sydneysiders flocked to Bondi Beach on Thursday to escape the sizzling heat, as parts of inland NSW reached over 40 degrees
Sydneysiders flocked to Bondi Beach to escape the blistering heat
Much of NSW is the middle of an end of summer heatwave
‘The extra summer day certainly packed a punch for most of the country as the hot air dragged down across southern and western NSW, making its way across Victoria and Tasmania,’ BOM meteorologist Kate Doyle told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Many parts of NSW saw temperatures sit six to eight degrees above average, with parts of western and inland Sydney reaching over 40.’
It comes after the city experienced its third hottest summer on record with 18 days over 30°C recorded at Observatory Hill.
Canberra saw a top of 32°C, labelled as ‘one of the sweatiest days of the 2023-24 summer’ with the city not reaching similar temperatures since early December.
Perth and Darwin reached 34, while Brisbane recorded 31 and Adelaide 29.
Perth also saw its third hottest summer on record, with the capital city experiencing seven days over 40 degrees in February alone while overnight temperatures in Brisbane were the hottest they have ever been.
Brisbane sweltered through 60 consecutive nights where minimum temperatures have failed to dip below 20°C.
Beachgoers at Bondi kept hydrated as temperatures soared above 32°C
Sydneysiders have sweltered through the city’s third hottest summer on record.
Bondi Beach was packed with Sydneysiders and tourists seeking refuge from the blistering heat
It was 26C in Melbourne on Thursday as much of the state’s west continues to burn.
Even with a change set to make its way across Australia, the hot weather is set to stick around for a little while longer.
‘There is a potential for warmer conditions to hang around with the long range forecast predicting 80 per cent chance of higher temperatures into March,’ Ms Doyle said.
‘We still have a little while to go and are expecting warm conditions into the transition into autumn.’
Unstable conditions will make their way across the country, with Sydney set to see cooler temperatures into the weekend.
Above average temperatures will continue across inland NSW and SA as the heat pushed into southern Queensland.
Unstable conditions will make their way across the country, with Sydney set to see cooler temperatures this weekend
The Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire broke out on February 22 and continues to burn, leaving several towns between Ballarat and Ararat under a watch and act warning.
Meanwhile, fire danger warnings remain in place as Victoria continues to battle an ongoing bushfire emergency.
Conditions were classed as catastrophic in far west fire district of Wimmera on Wednesday with more than 30,000 residents living in fire-risk zones urged to leave their home.
The Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire broke out on February 22 and continues to burn, leaving several towns between Ballarat and Ararat under a watch and act warning.
A member of Forest Fire Management Victoria at the Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire northwest of Ballarat, Victoria on Wednesday night
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