Records broken, power crisis averted
Here’s the wrap of the day.
- Much of NSW, the ACT and QLD sweltered in the mid-30s for much of today ahead of similar extreme heatwave conditions forecast for the weekend
- Sydney Airport recorded its hottest February day with 42.9C at 2:24pm, exceeding the previous high of 42.6C set in 1980
- Observatory Hill in Sydney set a new record for the number of consecutive days above 35C; several parts of Sydney exceeded 40C, while Penrith recorded 44.5C
- Though the Australian Energy Market Operator warned of blackouts forced by a shortfall in electricity supply in NSW, ACT and SA, there was no significant loss of service. The small number of outages reported by Ausgrid this afternoon were attributed to a local network fault
- The Tomago aluminium smelter near Newcastle shut off its three potlines for a period late on Friday afternoon to reduce its electricity usage, as requested by the energy provider AGL and AEMO
- In Canberra, the Senate inquiry into the resilience of electricity infrastructure in a warming world debated the Australian energy network’s reliance on coal, while the federal and SA governments sparred over what was to blame for the loss of power to 90,000 homes in the state on Wednesday
- An out-of-control grass fire in Georges Plain, Bathurst, was contained by firefighters
- A statewide fire ban is in place over the weekend for NSW, many national parks have been closed and the Randwick races have been postponed due to the extreme weather conditions forecast
- Elswhere in Australia, Perth recorded its second-wettest day in history … and snow is forecast for some parts of Tasmania over the weekend
Thanks for following along with our coverage, and if you’re weathering the heatwave in Australia, take care this weekend.
AEMO downgrades forecast shortfall in NSW
Power outages in Strathfield and Burwood – but not due to heat
Updated
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