Greetings from the beating heart of Sydney’s sweltering heatwave. If you thought this week has felt unseasonably hot, buckle up, summer’s only just getting started.
In New South Wales, the mercury has climbed into the high thirties and low forties, prompting Extreme Fire Danger warnings for Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven and the Upper Central West Plains.
Total fire bans are in place across several regions as strong winds, gusting up to 80 kilometres per hour, fan the risk of bushfires.
What Is The Summer Weather Forecast?
The Bureau of Meteorology has shared its first glimpse at the long-range summer forecast, and experts warn this could be just the beginning.
Covering November to January, the outlook predicts a 60 to 80 per cent chance of above-average maximum temperatures nationwide, and unusually warm nights almost everywhere.
“Daytime temperatures for November to January are likely to be above average for much of Australia,” the Bureau said. “Overnight temperatures are very likely to be above average almost nationwide.”
And it’s not just heat. Rainfall is expected to be heavier than usual across parts of northern Australia, thanks to warmer ocean temperatures and the potential return of La Niña, a weather pattern that typically brings wetter conditions.
While the Bureau hasn’t yet declared La Niña officially underway, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center has, suggesting this volatile mix of heat and humidity could define the season.
Already, the signs are clear. October heat records have been smashed across New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, with outback towns hitting previously unseen highs.
Sydney is on track to log its hottest spring month in meteorological history, potentially beating temperature records that have stood since the 1800s.
So yes, it’s technically still spring. But the Aussie climate seems eager to skip ahead, and this early heatwave feels less like an anomaly and more like a warning. Summer’s coming early, and she’s coming in hot.