Weather: Heat wave hits New South Wales, temperatures in Sydney, autumn weather starts in the south.

Temperatures are rising in Sydney ahead of a sweltering week, and the NSW coastline remains hot.

Hot air will move across the country, causing an autumn heat wave that will send Sydney’s CBD above 31°C for the first time this year, with 36°C expected on Monday.

“A summer heat wave not seen since September 2021 hits NSW on Monday, with millions of people feeling their warmest in more than two summers,” Sky News meteorologist Alison Osborne said.

Wildfire activity intensified over the weekend across the state, with an extreme fire warning issued for the Greater Hunter, Central Ranges, and Lower Central West Plains regions.

The heat wave will also affect parts of Queensland and Western Australia, and parts of Tasmania could experience snow.

Heavy rains in the Upper continue to pose a risk of flooding and have blocked a key transport route to Western Australia.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior meteorologist Sarah Scully said hot conditions on the east coast are being driven by hot northerly winds moving ahead of a cold front.

“Much of NSW will be hot and windy from Monday to Wednesday, increasing fire risk, especially in the NSW Ranges and Western Slopes,” she said.

“We expect low-intensity heat waves in parts of eastern New South Wales… while there will be a series of cold fronts in southeast Australia with temperatures well below average.

“There is even a chance of snow in higher parts of Tasmania on Wednesday.”

Heavy rains will continue to hit the Top Rim as the monsoon trough descends over the Cape York Peninsula over Queensland.

“Moisture is currently building up over Northern Australia, leading to increased storm activity,” Ms Scully said.

“A number of flood warnings and watches have been issued in the northern parts of the country.

“There are a number of impacts on the community, last week very heavy rains in the Upper End led to the evacuation of a number of communities – this has actually eased, however, a large volume of water that created these flood conditions last week is moving downstream.

“This caused flooding at the Victoria River Crossing, the main transport route between NT and WA, and is expected to remain impassable until Thursday.”

Western Australia has seen some easing of heatwaves, with very isolated patches of low intensity over the next week.

Sydney will be sweating with maximum temperatures of 36°C on Monday and 34°C on Tuesday, with the weather staying at 20°C for the rest of the week with a chance of showers on Saturday.

Melbourne is expecting a cool week after a hot weekend with maximum temperatures between 17 and 24°C and possible showers on Wednesday.

Brisbane will be sweltering for a week of hot temperatures, with the mercury rising above 30°C each day, peaking at 34°C on Wednesday and Thursday. Partly cloudy towards the end of the week, with showers expected on Friday and Saturday.

Perth is in for another hot week with maximum temperatures between 27 and 34 degrees Celsius, peaking on Tuesday. The weather will be sunny at the start of the week, with a chance of showers on Wednesday and clear skies again on Friday.

Cloudy in Adelaide with a chance of rain on Monday and Wednesday. Temperatures will remain relatively cool, hovering between 20 and 25 degrees on Friday and Saturday.

This will be a dreary week for Hobart with rain expected Monday through Wednesday. On Monday, the temperature will drop to 23°C, and on Wednesday it will drop to 15°C.

Canberra is set for a week of fine weather following a stormy weekend, with partly cloudy skies and maximum temperatures ranging from 29°C on Monday to 20°C on Wednesday.

It will be a very rainy week for Darwin with showers and possible storms expected every day except Friday. The maximum temperature will fluctuate within 30 degrees all week, and the minimum temperature will be 25 degrees Celsius.

Originally published as Millions of New South Wales to experience warmest heat wave in two summers