Tristan Meyers, 06 Oct 2015, 7:10 AM UTC
Temperatures spike across NSW ahead tomorrow’s cool change
It is the last day of a heat spell that has baked New South Wales, and like cinema choc-tops, records continue to melt.
Sydney, Dubbo, Condobolin, Balarand had their hottest trio of days this early in the season on record. Albury basked in their warmest day this early in the season since 1994 at 34 degrees. This heat is reflected across the state, with many places not seeing temperatures this hot since early autumn.
Every location across the state today recorded temperatures well above average. The South Coast in particular baked, with stations reporting a collective 14 degrees above the October average. Narooma clocked up an impressive 36 degrees, 17 degrees above the average and the hottest day this early in the season on record.
A gusty change will work its way up the NSW coast on Wednesday, bringing a five-to-ten degree drop in temperature due to a cooler airmass trailing in its wake. Along the edge of this southerly change will be a brief period of gales, but winds look to abate soon after it passes. Unfortunately the much needed cooling won't reach the entirety of the state - the Northwest Slopes and Plains, Northern Tablelands and northern parts of the Upper Western will have one more hot day tomorrow before temperatures drop on Thursday.
Later this week, a moisture-laden trough looks to develop over inland parts of the state, bringing the risk of thunderstorms. Forecasters will be keeping a close eye on the development of these systems due to the potential for a lightning strike sparking up a fire. Hot, dry winds in this week's heat spell has significantly dried out vegetation in across NSW, so ground strikes from the first few storms on Thursday or Friday may act to trigger fires.
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