Sydney weather: City simmers in hottest trio of March days since 1902

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Sydney weather: City simmers in hottest trio of March days since 1902

By Peter Hannam

Sydney's late-season heatwave fell short of delivering the city's hottest trio of March days since 1902, with another burst of warmth coming next weekend.

Monday's forecast top of 30 degrees by the Bureau of Meteorology turned out to be on the high side for Observatory Hill - though parts of the city's west tipped over 35 degrees.

Sunday's 38.4-degree-high, recorded at Observatory Hill, was the hottest this late in March since 1940, while Saturday's top reached 31.9 degrees, Brett Dutschke, senior meteorologist at Weatherzone, said.

The city has had only two previous stints of three 30-degree days in a row in March - in 1889 and 1902 - he said.

Sydney's 38.2 degrees on Sunday was the hottest day this late in the season for the city since 1940.

Sydney's 38.2 degrees on Sunday was the hottest day this late in the season for the city since 1940.Credit: Ben Rushton

The heatwave included a range of record maximum March temperatures for towns on the NSW South Coast, the site of bushfires that flared on Sunday and have destroyed as many as 70 homes and businesses.

These included 38.9 degrees at Moruya Airport and 38.1 degrees at Merimbula, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Richmond, on Sydney's north-western edge had its hottest day this late in the season.

According to Blair Trewin, the Bureau's senior climatologist, the forest fire danger index "was the highest on record for March for most areas of the NSW South Coast from Nowra southwards, as well as far east Gippsland and parts of the Monaro" such as Bombala.

'Perfect' set-up

Sunday's peaks had a lot to do with the timing of the system, creating a "perfect" set up, Mr Dutschke said.

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"The hottest part of the air mass was peaking at the right time of the day," he said.

The heatwave was most remarkable for its broad reach rather than its intensity.

On Saturday, for instance, every eastern capital - Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra - topped 30 degrees. That was the first time in March in 53 years, and the latest in the season since records started including Canberra 80 years ago, Mr Dutschke said.

Fires burn near Tathra on Sunday as record maximum temperatures were set in towns across the NSW South Coast.

Fires burn near Tathra on Sunday as record maximum temperatures were set in towns across the NSW South Coast.Credit: David Porter

For Sydney, the tail of summer won't stop wagging yet, with another day of 30 degrees forecast for next Sunday.

That burst of warmth will probably be briefer and much less intense than the current one, Mr Dutschke said.

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In the meantime, parts of eastern NSW may be in for some much needed showers and rain.

On current bureau forecasts, Sydney will get showers each day this week, with Thursday tipped to collect as much as 45 millimetres.

Temperatures will be close to the daytime average for March but overnight temperatures will remain mild for much of the week.

Areas north of Sydney, such as Newcastle and the Hunter may get as much as 100 millimetres, possibly bringing much-needed rain to parched areas.

Victoria, though, may get little rain relief in the near term, adding to that state's extremely dry conditions.

Early this year, Melbourne clocked 41 consecutive days with less than 1mm of rain, the longest such spell since the run-up to the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, Weatherzone said.

While trios of days above 30 degrees are rare events in March in Sydney, there have been two such spells in April - in 1969 and 1986, Mr Dutschke.

Weatherzone is owned by Fairfax Media, publisher of this website.

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