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Sydney swelters in hottest day since 1939 as mercury hits 47.3C | Sydney swelters in hottest day since 1939 as mercury hits 47.3C |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The Australian city of Sydney has experienced its hottest weather in 79 years with temperatures in the region hitting as high as 47.3C (117F). | |
In Penrith, west of Sydney, residents sweltered as the town bore the brunt of the heat on Sunday. | In Penrith, west of Sydney, residents sweltered as the town bore the brunt of the heat on Sunday. |
Severe fire warnings were issued for the greater Sydney area and total fire bans were put in place across the city. | Severe fire warnings were issued for the greater Sydney area and total fire bans were put in place across the city. |
Sunday's temperatures fell short of the scorching heat to hit the area in 1939, when the mercury reached 47.8C. | |
The sweltering temperatures reached in Penrith were confirmed by the Bureau of Meteorology. | The sweltering temperatures reached in Penrith were confirmed by the Bureau of Meteorology. |
At the Sydney Cricket Ground, England's batsmen struggled on the hottest day on record for a test match in Australia. | |
Players participating in the Sydney international tennis tournament were forced off the court at 10:00 local time on Sunday (23:00 GMT Saturday) by the event's organisers after temperatures courtside exceeded 40C. | Players participating in the Sydney international tennis tournament were forced off the court at 10:00 local time on Sunday (23:00 GMT Saturday) by the event's organisers after temperatures courtside exceeded 40C. |
France's Kristina Mladenovic apologised after she retired midway through her match against Australia's Ellen Perez due to the heat. | |
"43 degrees but probably 50 on court when started," Mladenovic tweeted, adding: "I'm sorry to the fans, I think it's the first time in my career I retired a match." | |
Journalist Jamie Pandaram also wrote on Twitter that the heat had prevented photographers from doing their work. | |
The fire bans in place in the greater Sydney area on Sunday were imposed to reduce the risk of wildfires, which are common during Australia's arid summers. | |
Several blazes had already been recorded on Saturday, and a number of properties were destroyed in the states of Victoria and South Australia. | |
In September 2017, Australians were warned to prepare for a dangerous bushfire season after one of the driest winters on record. | |
More than 200 weather records were broken across Australia between December 2016 and February 2017, with heat waves, bushfires and flooding throughout the country's summer season. | |
Experts have warned that land and sea temperatures have been affected by climate change, leading to more extreme weather conditions. |