Sydney is sweltering through its hottest day on record, with the
mercury hitting 45.3 degrees in the city. The city has surpassed
its hottest ever day of 45.3 degrees, recorded at Observatory
Hill in January 1939. Many parts of NSW were hovering around 45
degrees at lunchtime on Friday as a fiery air mass from inland
Australia moved over the state, pushing the mercury well above
the forecast maximum. In Sydney, the original forecast was that
the temperature would reach a maximum of 39 degrees in the city
but by 12.30pm the mercury already had reached a stifling 43.3
degrees at Observatory Hill, climbing to 45 degrees at 1.43pm
and then 45.2 degrees at 1.58pm. The west was even hotter, with
Penrith hitting 45.9 degrees at 2.15pm. Sydney Airport hit 45.9
degrees at 2.07pm. Just after midday at Wilcannia Airport in the
state's west, the temeprature hit a scorching 44.9 degrees. Not
far behind it were Albion Park, in the Illawarra, and Condobolin
in the central west, which both registered 44.8 degrees just
after