Parts of Australia are in for a wild Wednesday, with destructive winds battering multiple states while Sydney braces for what could be its hottest October day on record.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned that a deepening low-pressure system moving across the southeast will bring damaging winds across South Australia, Victoria, and parts of New South Wales throughout the day. According to the BoM’s latest update, gusts could reach up to 130km/h across parts of Victoria’s southwest coast, including Cape Otway.
In the central district, gusts can reach up to 100 to 120 km/h — including Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula and south Gippsland, with winds averaging between 60 and 80km/h across much of the state.
Emergency Management Victoria Commissioner Tim Wiebusch told 7News that the scale of the incoming gusts is significant, saying Victorians “haven’t seen winds like this for quite some time”.
“We’re asking Victorians to be prepared for power outages, that means be aware of power lines that may be on the ground,” Wiebusch said.
“Make sure you have charged your mobile devices tonight so that you can survive through those power outages.”
Residents have been urged to secure loose outdoor items — things like bins, trampolines and outdoor furniture — and prepare for possible power outages.
The ABC reported that wind speeds could rival those of a category two cyclone in exposed coastal areas, with the system posing a risk of toppled trees, downed power lines and dangerous driving conditions. The wild conditions are expected to ease by Wednesday night as the system tracks eastwards into the Tasman Sea.
While southern states battle the gusts, Sydney is sweltering under a mass of hot, dry northwesterly air being pushed across the country from inland Australia. The Bureau forecasts that Observatory Hill could reach 39°C — enough to potentially break the city’s 2004 October record of 38.2°C. Western suburbs are expected to flirt with 40°C.
This follows back-to-back days of record-breaking heat. On Tuesday, Birdsville in Queensland hit a scorching 46.1°C — its highest October temperature ever recorded — while Bourke Airport in New South Wales reached 44.8°C, breaking a state record that had stood since 1919.
The heat has prompted total fire bans across Greater Sydney, the Hunter, Illawarra, and parts of the Central West and North Western regions, with the NSW Rural Fire Service warning of “very high to extreme fire danger” conditions. The BoM said the combination of low humidity, hot air and strong northwesterly winds has made the conditions “ripe for ignition”.
Health authorities have also reminded residents to take precautions in the heat, encouraging people to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day, drink plenty of water and check in on vulnerable friends and family.
According to Weatherzone, Sydney’s October temperatures are currently tracking 4.3°C above average, making this month potentially the city’s hottest spring month on record.
Conditions across the south-east are expected to ease this evening, with cooler air arriving behind the cold front. But for now, it’s a day set to test both patience and power lines across much of the country.
Lead image: Key and Peele / Twister
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