Millions of Australian city-dwellers will get a taste of a spring heatwave that has broken temperature records in three states.
Sydney is forecast to swelter through an expected top of 38C on Wednesday, with Newcastle (39C) and Wollongong (36C) also in the firing line.
Senior meteorologist Angus Hines said the hot conditions stemmed from a “bubble of heat” stretching across central Australia.
Queensland, NSW and South Australia posted their hottest October days on record on Tuesday, with the mercury hitting 46.1C in Birdsville, 44.8C in Bourke and 45C at Moomba Airport.
The all-time temperatures were delivering heatwave conditions and elevated fire danger, Mr Hines said.
Total fire bans have been declared for the regions of Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Upper Central West Plains and North Western.
NSW authorities warned walking tracks and remote campgrounds in national parks across the areas could be closed “at short notice” if conditions worsen on Wednesday.
Relief from the heat is expected to arrive across NSW and southern Australia on Thursday but those in the north won’t be so lucky, with temperatures tipped to remain high on Friday and into the weekend.
It won’t be quite as hot in Darwin (35C), Canberra (31C), Brisbane (30C) and Melbourne (23C) on Wednesday.
Melburnians and Victorians have instead been told to brace for destructive winds and a risk of thunderstorm asthma conditions.
Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said damaging winds were forecast to hit Victoria’s west on Wednesday morning and reach the state’s east in the afternoon.
“We’re asking Victorians to ensure that they are prepared for power outages,” he told reporters.
“That means be aware of fallen powerlines that may be on the ground but also ensure that you’ve charged your mobile devices.”
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned gusts between 90km/h to 110km/h are expected to be “widespread” and could rise to 120km/h in the South-West Coast, Bellarine and Mornington peninsulas and Bass Coast.
Trees or branches were “very likely” to come down in the wild weather, creating hazards on the roads and properties, Geb Abbott from Victoria State Emergency Service said.
She called for motorists to consider alternate routes before hitting the road or if they needed to travel at all.
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