Temperatures near 40C as heatwave soars

Vast stretches of Sydney have descended into a heatwave furnace, with temperatures smashing past November averages to close in on 40C.

The Bureau of Meteorology reports temperatures in Richmond in northwest Sydney hit 39.4C at 2.50pm, while Penrith recorded a max temp of 39.7C at 3.33pm.

Soldiers at Holsworthy Barracks fronted 38.8C while residents in Camden, in southwest Sydney, sweltered through 39.1C at 3.27pm.

Tuesday’s temperatures soared above the sprawling suburbs’ mean highs.

Richmond’s mean for November is 27.1C, while Penrith’s is 27.5C.

Windy conditions have also caused havoc to the city’s transportation network.

A fallen tree has blocked the T8 line at Holsworthy, knocking out trains between East Hills and Glenfield.

“Some trains will be diverted via Granville and trains to Revesby via the Airport will run with some stops and platforms changing at short notice,” NSW Transport said.

Please delay travel if possible or consider using other transport.”

Blackouts hit thousands of homes in Sydney’s west on Tuesday afternoon as the temperatures soared.

Endeavour Energy reported 2785 customers were without power caused by more than 180 power outages that were being investigated by authorities.

Households in Bligh Park, Cattai, Central Colo, Catherine Field, Gledswood Hills, Gregory Hills and Rossmore were being affected by the outages.

A tree falling on to powerlines caused the issues, which was quickly fixed.

Millions more Aussies are at risk of enduring rolling blackouts this week, amid a heatwave sweeping through NSW and unexpected coal outages across the state.

A severe heatwave warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for parts of eastern NSW over the next few days – with the mercury tipped to soar into the high 30s in some regions.

A severe heatwave has been issued for Batemans Bay, Bowral, Camden, Campbelltown, Hornsby, Liverpool, Nowra, Penrith, Parramatta, Richmond and Scone.

Some areas reached a maximum temperature of 37C on Monday, with Richmond and Perth in Sydney’s west also clocking in at 35C.

These temperatures are set to rise again to 39C on Wednesday.

Residents experiencing the hot and humid conditions are also facing coal power outages, with the energy regulator warning of “tight electricity supply forecasts” until Wednesday.

Three generation units at Lake Macquarie near Newcastle – including two units at Bayswater Power Station, one at Vales Point and another at Eraring – were reported being offline on Monday.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has warned these outages, combined with high temperatures and a strong demand for electricity would lead to tight supply issues across NSW.

“AEMO has alerted the energy industry and is working with power station operators and transmission businesses to boost electricity availability,” a spokeswoman said.

“If a market response remains inadequate, AEMO will take actions available to maintain supply.”

In a further update on Monday afternoon, AEMO confirmed electricity reserves had improved for Wednesday.

“As a result, the previously forecast Lack of Reserve Level 3 (LOR3) has been downgraded to a less critical Lack of Reserve Level 2 (LOR2). This improvement is largely due to the cancellation of transmission outages in the region,” a spokeswoman said.

In Queensland, a similar severe heatwave warning has been issued for the Peninsula District.

Locations likely to be impacted include Aurukun, Mapoon, Thursday Island and Weipa.

Conditions in NSW will remain searing through the first half of the week, with the northern parts of the state anticipating scorching 38C temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The bureau has issued a warning as the heat continues to grip the state.

“Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell,” a bureau statement read.

Sydney residents are urged to seek shelter inside and close their windows, curtains, awnings and blinds to keep the hot air outside.

Residents can expect the heatwave to stick around the eastern parts of NSW until Thursday when a slew of showers will begin sweeping through the state and ushering in a much-needed cool change.

While the heatwave rips through the eastern regions of the state, other parts can expect thunderstorms. Rain will battering the central and western regions of NSW, making its way from southeast Australia across South Australia, Victoria and western NSW.

Last week, Melbourne and Adelaide residents braved similar scorching conditions, with a heatwave ripping through the cities and reaching a maximum temperature of 38C on Friday in South Australia and 37C on Saturday in Melbourne before the cool shift hit.