Sydney
\nThe Australian weather bureau has announced that a spring heat wave affecting extensive areas of the southeastern region, including Sydney, is set to intensify on Monday.
\nTemperatures are projected to reach as much as 16 degrees Celsius (60 Fahrenheit) higher than the average for September.
\nAustralia is currently experiencing an escalating heat wave that originated in the country\u2019s outback interior over the weekend.
\nThis heat wave is anticipated to persist until Wednesday and will impact the states of South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.
\nThe Bureau of Meteorology has indicated that numerous early spring temperature records are likely to be shattered in the coming days, describing the heat as \u201cextraordinarily unusual for the month of September.\u201d
\n\u201cA reprieve from the heat is not expected until Wednesday onwards, as a stronger cold front crosses the southeastern states,\u201d the weather bureau said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
\nThe heat took its toll on runners in the Sydney marathon on Sunday with 26 people taken to the hospital and about 40 treated for heat exhaustion by emergency services.
\nTemperatures in Sydney\u2019s west are expected to hit 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 F) on Monday before dropping to about 22 degrees Celsius (71 F) on Thursday, the weather bureau forecasts showed.
\nThe heat wave has also elevated the risks of fires with several regions given \u2018high\u2019 fire danger ratings, and authorities urging residents to prepare for bushfires. About 50 grass or bushfires are burning across New South Wales but all have been brought under control.
\nEarlier Reuters reported that the heat burst came after the forecaster said last week that indicators of an El Nino weather event had strengthened and it would likely develop between September and November, bringing hotter, drier conditions to Australia.
\nThe weather bureau said the \u201cearly period of heat\u201d in many parts of the country was \u201cvery uncommon during September\u201d.
\n\u201cThese temperatures will intensify from Sunday through Tuesday,\u201d it said on Facebook, with temperatures 8 to 16 C (46.4 to 60.8 F) above average.
\n\u201cRecord September daytime and nighttime temperatures are expected from Sunday through Thursday across inland areas of South Australia, New South Wales and northeast Victoria.\u201d
\nEl Nino can prompt extreme weather events from wildfires to cyclones and prolonged drought, with Australian authorities already warning of heightened bushfire risks this summer.
\nA thick smoke haze blanketed Sydney for several days this week as firefighters carried out hazard-reduction burns to prepare for the looming bushfire season.
\nAt Bondi beach, Sydney resident Bella Callaghan was concerned about how hot it could get in the coming months.
\n\u201cWe need extra strong sunscreen,\u201d she said.
\nAnother local, Danielle Vangou, was worried about runners in the Sydney marathon, set to take place on Sunday.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll be thinking about them tomorrow while I\u2019ll probably be here swimming, but it\u2019s gonna be tough for sure for them, so hopefully they have a bit of reprieve.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sydney The Australian weather bureau has announced that a spring heat wave affecting extensive areas of the southeastern region, including Sydney, is set to intensify on Monday. Temperatures are projected to reach as much as 16 degrees Celsius (60 Fahrenheit) higher than the average for September. Australia is currently experiencing an escalating heat wave that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-356838","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n