Weather forecast: Urgent warnings for travellers, NRL grand final on ‘concerning’ temperatures as mercury soars to scorching 37C over long weekend

Families traveling over the holiday weekend are being warned to brace for ‘high-risk’ bushfires after a snap ban was imposed in some of NSW’s most sought-after tourist destinations – as NRL grand final competitors face record temperatures .

Australia’s eastern states are forecast to swelter over the holiday weekend, with temperatures expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius in Sydney and elsewhere in NSW, leading to a ban on solid fuel fires in national parks on the south coast of N.S.W.

NPWS South Coast director Kane Weeks said campfires and solid fuel fires were ‘too risky’ under current conditions, with travelers instead limiting themselves to gas, liquid fuel or electric heaters.

“Right along the coastal and slope reserves, dry conditions combined with hot, dry weather mean campfires are a risk in bushland areas across the region,” Mr Weeks said.

‘Forest fires can be started very easily by the sparks of a campfire… All it takes is a gust of wind and we could have a forest fire. There are many examples of campfires causing large forest fires.”

The sweltering weather will begin to settle in the east from Friday as a mass of hot air from Western Australia works its way south where it will remain until at least Wednesday.

“The heat will really settle in parts of the south-east over the next few days,” Sky News meteorologist Bradlyn Oakes said.

‘Some of this is helped by the pattern of the upper atmosphere; There’s a lot of hot air coming in and you can see it out there.

“That extends from the northwest to the southeast, which will keep it very warm in the coming days.”

Rugby league fans are being warned this year’s NRL grand final could be the hottest ever, following an earlier heatwave in September.

The Broncos-Panthers demolition is booked for 7.30pm at Accor Stadium, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius for the 7.30pm kick-off.

NRL head of football Graham Annesley said the competition was “ready for any conditions” as organizers dealt with Sunday’s brutal heat.

If a weather station in Greater Sydney exceeds 37.3 degrees Celsius in the first three days of October, it will be the highest early spring temperature on record.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts temperatures in the city will reach a maximum of 37 degrees Celsius on Sunday, an increase of 11 degrees on the day before.

While conditions are expected to ease on Monday, the mercury is expected to rise again next week with highs of 37C on Tuesday.

Although the grand final will be scorching hot, Ms Oakes says Tuesday’s temperatures are really worrying.

“There are a lot of areas in NSW, but also in the ACT and Victoria, where the temperature is probably 8, 10, 12, 14 degrees above average,” she said.

Melbourne is expected to reach a high of 29 degrees Celsius on Saturday before temperatures drop slightly next week as up to 15mm of rain falls.

Temperatures in the country’s capital are forecast to reach as high as 31ºC on Tuesday, compared to 19ºC on the same day last year.

Brisbane is also expected to reach 27 degrees Celsius this weekend, while Hobart will reach 23 degrees Celsius on Saturday – 10 degrees above the same day last year.

Fire warning

The Northern Territory is also experiencing heat and fire danger warnings.

The agency issued fire warnings for the Darwin and Adelaide River districts, Gregory South East and Barkly North on Thursday.

“Warm and dry with moderate to fresh and gusty winds from the northeast to southeast in most parts of the territory,” the agency said.

“Wind combined with high fuel loads will result in increased fire danger in the Barkly North, Darwin and Adelaide River and Gregory South East fire district.”

Catastrophic fire danger is forecast for Barkly North, while extreme fire danger is forecast for the Darwin and Adelaide Rivers and Gregory South East.

NT Fire and Rescue Service has advised residents to implement their bushfire survival plans immediately.

The temperature is expected to hover around 34 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius until Monday.

The national collapse

Other parts of the country will also experience steadily warming temperatures.

The agency predicts a maximum temperature of 3 degrees Celsius in Adelaide on Saturday, while Brisbane will experience temperatures in the low 20s.

Perth will enjoy a cooler weekend, with expected highs of 22°C on Saturday and 21°C on Sunday.