A heat wave swept across large areas of Australia on Sunday, and authorities warned of a high risk of bushfires in an already very dangerous fire season in light of the El Niño climate phenomenon.
The country's weather service issued heatwave alerts in the state of New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and warned that temperatures in some parts of the country could reach 40 degrees Celsius.
Meteorological data showed that the maximum temperature in western Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, was expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius, nearly 10 degrees above average in February.
Hot, dry conditions accompanied by gusty winds prompted meteorologists to issue “extreme fire danger” warnings in parts of Victoria and South Australia.
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