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A deep low moving east is gradually easing winds over NSW, Vic and Tas, with showers persisting over Vic and Tas. Hot winds feeding an area of moisture and instability trigger rain and storms from WA's east, through the central NT and over southeast Qld and northeast NSW.
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Today, 5:18AM UTC
October temperature records broken in searing Sydney heat
October heat records have been broken across the Sydney basin and further north in the Central Coast and Hunter regions this Wednesday, as strong northwesterly winds funnel scorching hot air from the country’s interior towards the NSW coast. After a relatively mild morning, the predicted hot air arrived with a rush early in the afternoon, with the mercury at Sydney’s official weather station at Observatory Hill jumping 11 degrees (from 25.9°C to 36.9°C) in the hour between 12:55pm and 1:55pm. By 3pm, temperatures were in the high 30s across the city, with Observatory Hill having reached 37°C (the October record is 38.2°C). While the main city weather station hasn’t yet exceeded the old October high mark, records broken so far this Wednesday in and around Sydney include: Taree, on the Mid North Coast around 300km north of Sydney, reached a remarkable 41.2°C. Not only did this exceed the old October record by 1.2°C, it was several degrees hotter than any day last summer! Bankstown Airport was Sydney’s hottest spot to 3pm, with a high of 39.8°C. That was almost 16 degrees above the October average maximum of 24°C, and narrowly exceeded the old October record of 39.7°C. Williamtown, just north of Newcastle, reached 39.6C. The old October record was 39.4 °C in data going back to 1950. Penrith in Sydney’s outer west reached 39.5°C. The old October record at the current site with 30 years of records was 38.9°C. Why so hot across Sydney? After Monday and Tuesday’s record outback heat near the corner of SA/QLD and NSW, northwesterly winds have pushed the furnace-like airmass in a southeasterly direction Due to the strong and gusty nature of those winds, there was no hint today of the sea breeze that often leaves Sydney’s coastal suburbs up to 15 degrees cooler than the city’s west on hot summer days. Uniform heat across Sydney’s suburbs is actually quite a common occurrence during the spring months, especially in years like 2025 when westerly winds dominate the weather pattern in eastern NSW. Of course, when westerlies are blowing across southeastern Australia, that usually means there’s a cold front lurking somewhere down south, and that is indeed the case this Wednesday. Image: Four-hour combined radar and satellite loop in the late morning and early afternoon of Wednesday, October 22, 2025, over SE Australia. While Sydney was nearing 40°C on Wednesday afternoon, Melbourne and Adelaide were both struggling to reach 20°C. The loop above shows a speckled airmass, indicative of frigid air with polar origins, which is moving through the southeast of SA towards Victoria, while Sydney is baked by hot warm air ahead of the cloudband. Some handy rainfall totals have been recorded across SA, Vic and parts of southern NSW with that rainband, including almost 50mm between midnight and 3:30pm Wednesday at Perisher Valley in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. While a shower or storm is possible, not much rain is expected to dampen Sydney after today’s extreme heat. This will likely disappoint locals as the city has experienced a rare dry spell in recent weeks with almost no significant rainfall since mid-September and just 4.8mm so far this October. There will, however, be temperature relief as the hot air moves out to sea overnight, with maximums in the low-to-mid 20s across the city tomorrow.
21 Oct 2025, 11:45PM UTC
Damaging winds in four states as record-challenging heat targets NSW
This Wednesday will be a big day of extreme weather across southern and southeastern Australia, with damaging to destructive winds and thunderstorms hitting several states and territories as record-challenging heat causes Extreme fire danger in NSW. An intense low pressure system and associated cold front will cross southeastern Australia on Wednesday. This potent system will interact with a sweltering air mass sitting over eastern Australia to cause a dynamic mix of extreme weather in multiple states and territories. Wind and thunderstorms Powerful winds will surge across parts of SA, Vic, NSW and the ACT on Wednesday as the low passes over Bass Strait and the cold front ploughs across Australia's southeast mainland. Severe weather warnings have been issued for damaging to destructive winds in all four of these states and territories on Wednesday. Image: Modelled wind gusts at 2pm AEDT on Wednesday. Wind gusts on Wednesday could reach around 90 to 100 km/h over most of Vic, central and southeast SA to the east of the Mount Lofty Ranges, the southern and central coast and ranges in NSW and the southern ACT. Image: Orange shading represents areas covered by a severe weather warning as of 10am AEDT on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The strongest winds are likely to occur near the low pressure system, with gusts possibly reaching around 110 to 130 km/h along the coast between Robe in SA and Cape Otway in Vic. Thunderstorms will also develop over a broad area of southeastern Australia on Wednesday in response to the passage of the cold front and an associated low pressure trough. These storms will affect parts of SA, Vic, NSW and the ACT, and may also extend down to parts of Tas and up towards central Australia. Heat and fire danger in NSW A tongue of very hot air will be driven across NSW on Wednesday as northwesterly winds strengthen ahead of the approaching cold front and trough. This hot air mass, which already broke October state maximum temperature records in NSW and Qld on Tuesday, could challenge October heat records in parts of eastern NSW on Wednesday. Sydney’s forecast top of 39°C for Wednesday is higher than the city’s current October maximum temperature record of 38.2°C from 2004. Image: Forecast temperature and wind at 2pm AEDT on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. This burst of intense heat will combine with the blustery winds to cause High to Extreme fire danger ratings across most of NSW on Wednesday. Total fire bans have been issued over several districts in central and northern NSW, including the Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven forecast weather areas. Be sure to check the latest severe weather warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings in your area on Wednesday if you live in southern or southeastern Australia. Those in NSW should also keep an eye on the NSW Rural Fire Service website for the latest information on fires across the state.
21 Oct 2025, 5:15AM UTC
Hottest October day on record in Qld, NSW
Long-standing statewide heat records have been broken in Queensland and New South Wales, with Birdsville in Qld and Bourke in NSW registering the hottest October day on record for any location in their respective states. The official maximums won’t be known until 9am Wednesday, but as of 4:30pm (AEDT) in NSW and 3:30pm (AEST) in Qld: Birdsville in Queensland’s Channel Country had reached 46.1°C. Remarkably, that’s a full degree above the previous October record of 45.1°C, which also occurred in Birdsville, in records going back well over a century to 1892. Bourke in the Upper Western forecast district of New South Wales reached 44.8°C at 4pm. That broke the old NSW state record for October of 43.9°C at Brewarrina by almost a degree. Image: Bourke, NSW, on a much cooler day in autumn. Source: iStock/JohnCarnemolla. Numerous other locations have broken local heat records for October this Tuesday, folllowing on from Monday when October records fell at sites in three states – SA, NSW and Qld. Today’s site (but not statewide) records include: Thargomindah in far southwest Queensland reached 45.1°C just after 3pm. That beat the old record of 43.1°C by two degrees, in records going all the way back to 1879. Tibooburra in the far northwest corner of NSW reached 42.8°C – its hottest day in records going back to 1886. The "old" record of 42.6°C lasted just a day. The searing outback heat will begin to dissipate overnight, with Wednesday maximums in the low-to-mid 30s in all of the locations mentioned above. That’s still relatively warm for this time of year, but it’s around 10 degrees down on Tuesday’s extremes. Image: Forecast temperatures for NSW for Wednesday, October 22, according to the ECMWF model. Some coastal areas will be hotter than the NW corner of the state, where heat records were broken on Tuesday. The heat will then be pushed in a southeasterly direction, creating uncomfortable conditions in eastern NSW and SE Queensland. Record temperatures are on the cards in some coastal NSW locations (including the Sydney basin) for Wednesday, with extreme fire danger already declared in many areas. Please check the Weatherzone warnings page for the latest information on alerts in your area, and check our news feed on Wednesday for the latest on the eastern NSW heat and fire situation.