Australia swelters through heat wave as bushfire risk grows

9/12/2023 13:42

        Australia's southeast on Saturday sweated through a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and led authorities to ban fires in large parts of New South Wales state.
        
        The nation's weather forecaster predicted a maximum temperature in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), almost 15 degrees above the average December high for the city.
        
        At Observatory Hill in the centre of Sydney, the capital of News South Wales, the temperature was 38.9 C (102 F) at 1 p.m. (0200 GMT) on Saturday, according to forecaster data.
        
        Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in Sydney it was "a time to ensure that we look after each other and stay safe".
        
        The heat heightens the risk of bushfires in an already high-risk fire season during Australia's December-February summer due to an El Nino weather event, typically associated with extremes such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.