This was published 7 years ago
Sydney weather: 'Hot and horrible' end of the year as big heat starts to build
By Peter Hannam
Sydney is headed for a scorching end to 2016 as tropics-like heat and humidity push their way into Australia's south-east.
Some of that warm, moist air has delivered record levels of rain to parts of the interior and closed the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park until further notice.
For Sydney, near ideal summer conditions should prevail for Tuesday and Wednesday, with tops of 29-30 degrees under partly-cloudy skies, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The western suburbs, however, continue to bake with maximums of 35-37 degrees expected for those two days.
Boxing Day revellers at Shelly Beach, Manly.Credit: Nick Moir
Fiercer heat, though, is on the way, with Sydney likely to become "hot and horrible" towards the end of the week with high humidity adding to discomfort, Sam Terry, a meteorologist with Weatherzone, said.
For now, the mercury is tipped to reach 37 degrees in the city on Thursday and 41-42 degrees in the west. Friday may not be much better, with 40 degrees expected for western suburbs and the 33-degree maximum predicted for the city dependent on sea breezes kicking in.
"If the northerlies are hot enough and strong enough, it will keep out the sea breeze," Mr Terry said.
With little relief expected until the new year arrives on Sunday, it's possible Sydney will have its hottest final week of a year in more than half a century, he said.
Shelly Beach near Manly is likely to be a popular place all week.Credit: Nick Moir
Summer often creates humid conditions along the eastern seaboard, but this week's set-up has the remnants of a tropical cyclone thrown in.
"There a high, slow moving, over the Tasman Sea, and we have ex-tropical cyclone Yvette [over central Australia]," Stephen Stefanac, a bureau forecaster, said. "And we have northerly winds in between."
Uluru turns into a cascade of waterfalls as the heavens open up.Credit: Parks Australia
There's the chance of a southerly change reaching Sydney on Tuesday, but any relief will likely to be shortlived, he said. Western suburbs may also cop a thunderstorm coming off the ranges.
Heatwave, fire risks
For NSW, the height of the coming heatwave now looks likely to be from Thursday to Saturday, with the entire coast rated as "severe" or "extreme". (See bureau chart below.)