March records have tumbled in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as the state sees an unusually late and widespread burst of extreme heat.

Both Forbes (40.7°C) and Wagga Wagga (39.9°C) have had their hottest March day in 83 years, with Bathurst (36.6°C) having their hottest March day in 81 years. Orange (34.5°C) had their hottest March day in 58 years. 

Some places even managed to bust long-standing records for their hottest March in history:

• Katoomba (34.8ºC) with records available back to 1957
• Mount Boyce (34.2°C) with a 33-year history 
• Mudgee (38.3ºC) with 62 years of records
• Moss Vale (37.0°C) with combined records at Moss Vale and Bowral dating back to 1962
• Goulburn (37.6°C) with records back to 1962

The nation’s capital Canberra reached 37.4°C at 3:45pm, its hottest March day in 25 years. This is only 0.1 degrees off matching the long-term record of 37.5°C set in 1998 with records stretching back to 1939.

Image: Satellite image and observed temperatures over NSW at 3pm AEDT

This heat has been brought from the country’s interior and northern WA by a pair of slow-moving troughs over the last few days. The cold front that crossed SA, Victoria and Tasmania on Saturday now is pushing up over southern parts of NSW, bringing some welcome relief.