Sydney Braces for 33C Spring Start as Snow Falls in Southern NSW

Sydney is heading into an unusually hot start to spring, with temperatures forecast to reach 33C in some suburbs while snow is expected in southern New South Wales. The first days of September were forecast to bring maximum temperatures close to Sydney’s midsummer average of 26.4C. According to The Guardian’s report, the city could record its warmest start to spring since observations began at the Observatory Hill station in 1858. Saturday’s forecast maximums were expected to exceed average September temperatures by as much as 13C. Meteorologist Tom Saunders told ABC News that a gusty north-westerly airflow from inland areas would drive the heat across the New South Wales coast. Sydney’s average maximum for the first five days of September was forecast to reach 27C, matching its midsummer average. Saunders also said spring temperatures could average up to 3C above the baseline from recent decades, potentially making it the hottest spring on record. The heat was accompanied by dangerous fire conditions. A total fire ban was in place across greater Sydney, where extreme fire danger was forecast. Fire authorities were also warning of elevated risks across parts of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory. Yet while Sydney faced summer-like conditions, cameras appeared to show snow falling at Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains late Saturday morning. The Bureau of Meteorology forecast snow at Thredbo’s top station by 4pm, with a daytime low of -1C. The new snow was not expected to substantially improve conditions at Australia’s ski fields. Weatherzone journalist Anthony Sharwood reported that the country’s snowpack was at a historic low for the first week of September, including at the mountains’ highest elevations, after a warm winter. Elsewhere, temperatures in southern Queensland were expected to reach the mid-30s. Strong winds, heavy rain and flooding also featured in the forecast: gusts could reach 110km/h in parts of South Australia, while some areas of north-east Victoria and northern Tasmania could receive up to 60mm of rain. The weather arrived as a strong El Niño event continued developing in the Pacific. The UN weather agency said the phenomenon could persist until early 2027. Such events tend to bring hotter and drier conditions to southern and eastern Australia during winter and spring, increasing the risk of heatwaves, drought and bushfires.