Sydney set for a smoky Sunday, with temperatures of 40C predicted for week ahead

Bushfire smoke will again settle across the Sydney Basin, the RFS says, and temperatures are forecast to hit the high 40s in some parts of NSW later this week.

A satellite image showing fires burning across New South Wales, Australia.

A satellite image showing fires burning across New South Wales, Australia. Source: NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY

Sydney is set for another hazy day from bushfire smoke blown across the city, while firefighters are bracing for worsening conditions as NSW heats up.

Temperatures could reach the high 40s in the west of the state by Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

There were 111 fires burning across the state on Saturday night, 60 of them not contained.

Some 1500 firefighters were tackling the blazes and there was no let-up on the horizon, Greg Allan from the RFS said.

"We will see conditions deteriorate with worsening weather early into mid-next week. We're going to be seeing a lot more higher temperatures across the state," he told AAP.
Places such as Cobar, Broken Hill and Griffith will see temperatures above 40C in the coming week, the BOM said.

Total fire bans have been issued for the Central Ranges, Northern Slopes and North Western areas amid very high fire danger ratings on Sunday and more bushfire smoke will affect the Sydney Basin, the fire service said.

"Smoke from fires burning on the outskirts of Sydney will settle across the Sydney Basin again overnight and tomorrow," the RFS tweeted on Saturday evening.

"There is a possibility the smoke will clear slightly but remaining dense throughout the day.

The Ruined Castle fire in the Blue Mountains remained at watch and act level on Saturday night.

Some 724 homes, 49 facilities and 1582 outbuildings had been destroyed so far this fire season. Six people have died and 2.7 million hectares have been scorched.


Share
Published 15 December 2019 7:48am
Updated 15 December 2019 8:23am


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world