Temperatures hit 40C in parts of eastern Australia as an autumn heatwave saw fires threaten properties and force schools to close.
Sydney recorded its hottest day in over two years with temperatures hitting 37.6 (99.7F) as nearly 40 bushfires erupted, while many people flocked to the beach to enjoy the weather hot.
Temperatures in Penrith, which is 35 miles west of sydneyhit 40.1C (104.2F) on Monday afternoon, while some inland cities hit near 41C (105.8F).
Hundreds of firefighters in New South Wales (NSW), which is the home state of a third of Australians, were battling to protect some homes and buildings as nearly 40 bushfires broke out.
Ground crews were supported by planes while some residents were warned to leave their areas as some fires continued to spread rapidly.
Around 35 schools in NSW have been closed due to the severe heat.
NSW Rural Fire Service operational officer Angela Burford told the Australian Broadcasting Corp: “If a fire starts it will burn in these harsh conditions…[it’s] more difficult for our firefighters to circumvent them, and the fire can spread very quickly, especially in the prairies. »
The fire department said “hundreds of firefighters were busy today” across the state and work “will continue late into the night.”
Dry thunderstorms are also possible in eastern New South Wales, bringing conditions that could see lightning spark new fires, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
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Officials said the extreme conditions could pose the greatest fire risk since the 2020 summer lights.
Hot and dry conditions are expected to persist through Wednesday.
The east coast of Australia has been dominated by the La Nina weather phenomenon – usually associated with increased rainfall – for the past two years, which has rainfall record and widespread flooding.
In 2022, Sydney recorded its highest rainfall since records began in 1858.
But the weather bureau said last week that its climate models suggest La Nina was “probably nearing its end”.
Neutral conditions, which are neither La Nina nor its opposite El Nino, are expected to prevail throughout the southern hemisphere fall, experts said.
