The nation’s weather forecaster predicted a Saturday maximum temperature in Sydney, the capital of Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) — almost 15 degrees above the average December high for the city.
At Observatory Hill in the center of Sydney, the temperature was 37 C (98.6 F) at 11 a.m. local time Saturday, according to forecaster data.
Speaking in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was “a time to ensure that we look after each other and stay safe.”
“Today in Sydney, and in other parts of the east coast, it’s a reminder that there just might be something in this climate change stuff,” Albanese said, according to an official transcript.
The heat heightens the risk of bushfires amid an already high-risk fire season due to an El Nino weather event, typically associated with extremes such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.
New South Wales fire authorities said on the social media platform X that a total fire ban was in place for large swaths of the state, including Sydney, given the “very hot, dry and windy conditions” forecast.
There were more than 50 grass and bushfires burning across New South Wales on Saturday morning, according to the state’s rural fire service.
In a warning on Friday, the weather forecaster said “severe heat wave conditions” would continue across much of New South Wales into next week, with peak temperatures predicted through the weekend.
Australia’s last two fire seasons have been quiet compared with the catastrophic 2019-20 “black summer” that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.