Sydney weather LIVE updates: City temperatures set to top 40 ...

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Firefighters are going to have their work cut out for them as they battle hot temperatures, winds and no relief.

NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Ben Shepherd said there were 58 fires burning across the state, of which 22 are yet to be contained.

“Our focus initially will be on several fires in the Narrabri area - including one or two in the Pilliga forest. They have the ability to become big fires and require a significant number of resources to bring under control.

RFS crews have been battling fires for several months as the state faces another bad fire season.Credit: Nick Moir

“Our focus will also be on the total fire bans areas that are in place stretching from Sydney through the southern slopes and lower central plains where we are expecting temperatures in the early to mid 40s, low humidity below 10 per cent, and northwesterly winds up to 50-60km per hour,” he said.

“There will be high fire danger across most of the state for the next 5 to 6 days,” he said.

Shepherd added that wet weather in Sydney over the past few weeks had helped tempered the danger, but today would be a dangerous day, with incredibly hot temperatures.

“Firefighting in these conditions is super testing,” he said.

It’s just after 8am and temperatures are increasing across the city as we brace for a scorcher of a day.

In Bondi, it’s 23.8 degrees but will likely peak at 39 degrees and Sydney’s CBD is currently 24.9 degrees, but will continue to warm up to 40 degrees.

Meanwhile, it’s 27.9 degrees in Parramatta (but will peak at 43 degrees).

Most of those temperatures are above the December monthly average of 25.3 degrees.

As it warms up, make sure you’re keeping cool, stay indoors, don’t exercise, head to your local shopping centre or library, and hydrate!

Our amazing photographers are already out and about capturing the heatwave and how you’re escaping it.

People escape the heat at Bondi Beach on Saturday.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

People gather at Bondi Beach at sunrise on Saturday morning.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

German tourists Virginia Wolf and Hannah Distel escape the heat on Friday in the Blue Mountains.Credit: Dean Sewell

The Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as when the maximum and minimum temperatures are unusually hot over three days. The agency compares this to local climate and previous weather records.

But there’s more to it than just a hot few days. The BOM also measures how much temperatures drop at night. Cooler nights allow some recovery from each day’s heat.

A high overnight temperature can mean that the next day heats up quickly.

In heatwaves, hot nights make it harder to recover from the heat of the day. This puts more stress on the body.

Low-intensity heatwaves are frequent during summer. Most people can cope during these heatwaves.

Severe heatwaves are less frequent and can be more challenging for the elderly, babies, those with chronic illnesses, or who don’t have access to cool spaces. We’re likely to see severe heatwave conditions for parts of the state today, including the Mid North Coast, Hunter, northern tablelands, Illawarra, south coast and Snowy Mountains.

Extreme heatwaves are rare and can pose problems for more people. We’re likely to see this type of heatwave today for the central west slopes and upper western districts.

Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said the heatwave had been caused by warm air building over north-western Australia, with a slow weather pattern slowly pulling it across the country.

While the heatwave has eased in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, Queensland, NSW and Victoria are set to suffer in the coming days.

The good news is that NSW will see the worst of the hot weather at the weekend, with relief for western parts of the state beginning on Sunday and moving across eastern parts of the state by Tuesday.

“Heatwaves don’t last forever,” Dutschke said.

It comes as European Union scientists have declared 2023 the warmest year on record.

Every month since June was the warmest on record globally, according to the latest monthly climate update from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Read more here

Health authorities have urged people to be careful heading into the weekend, with several festivals due to take place.

Dr Darren Roberts, medical director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre, said that without the right precautions, people could put their health at risk.

People gather at Bondi Beach at sunrise on Saturday morning.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

“Overheating during activities in dangerous heat is a huge risk, and people need to take a break from dancing, seek shade, drink water and cool down to reduce the risk at festivals,” Roberts said.

“Festivals will have special measures in place this weekend, including chilled water and misting fans to help keep people cool. Everyone attending should make use of these measures.”

Roberts said hot environments can increase the risk of harm from some drugs.

Meanwhile, people hoping to escape to the water to beat the heat at the City of Sydney’s public pools on Saturday should be warned – a planned open day to celebrate the start of summer means entry is free, most likely bringing huge crowds.

Good morning, I am Laura Chung and I will be taking you through the events today.

It’s going to be a hot day, with temperatures expected to hit the mid-40s for parts of Sydney.

Temperatures are forecast to hit 44 in Sydney’s west and 40 in the city on Saturday.Credit: Steven Siewert

Temperatures are expected to hit 40 degrees in the city, while Penrith is likely to record 44 degrees, Parramatta will see 42 and Bondi will swelter through 36 degrees on Saturday.

Sydney is on high alert and facing extreme fire danger on Saturday. The NSW Rural Fire Service issued extreme fire warnings for the Greater Sydney region, Central West and northern Riverina.

As of this morning, there are 54 fires burned across the state, several of these are not controlled.