Fire authorities will be on high alert on Thursday as summer-like conditions bring near-record heat and high winds ahead of a southerly buster due to reach Sydney around midnight.
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The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued extreme fire danger warnings for the heavily populated greater Sydney, greater Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions. A total fire ban has been declared for 15 of the state's 21 regions.
Fire service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there is the potential for some locations to reach a "catastrophic" fire threat if the weather deteriorates beyond what is forecast.
The status of these locations will be updated from Thursday morning, he said.
“These are dangerous conditions, and it's critical that you understand the risk and make your final preparations now – do not leave it until the last minute,” Commissioner Fitzsimmons said in a statement.
“Under these conditions, any fire that starts and takes hold will spread quickly and may threaten homes and lives without warning."
Dozens of aircaft, hundreds of fire trucks and thousands of volunteer firefighters will be standing by to tackle any emergencies.
Some 82 NSW parks are closed at least in part, with fires reported in five of them.
While the mercury in Sydney's central business district is forecast to climb to 37 degrees, regions around the airport and suburbs elsewhere may experience 38 degrees or higher, said Brett Dutschke, senior meteorologist at Weatherzone.
The temperature may challenge the 37.4-degree early season record set for Sydney in October 1942, and the all-time high for the month of 38.2 degrees, which was set nine years ago.
North-westerlies gusting as high as 60 km/h are likely to whip up dust and pollen, adding to the day's discomfort. The arrival of the southerly buster will bring some relief but also stiffer gusts approaching 80 km/h along the coast, Weatherzone said, potentially exacerbating fire dangers.
The cool change, and the prospect of another rain event over the weekend, will only ease conditions temporarily. Sunday's forecast of 31 degrees and more days of unusual warmth should help nudge average temperatures for the city for the first half of October above the 1988 record of 26.2 degrees - placing yet another heat record at risk.
"I'm confident it will be the hottest October on record, or close to it," Dr Dutschke said.
Regions such as Wilcannia and Bourke in the state's west should experience temperatures of up to 40 degrees, while Griffiths should get its hottest October day in about a quarter of a century, Dr Dutschke said.
Weatherzone is owned by Fairfax Media, publisher of this website.
