A severe fire hazard in Australia as temperatures soar to record highs

 Temperatures were expected to exceed 40 degrees for the second day in a row on Sunday, while the Bureau of Meteorology forecast a five or six-day heat wave in parts of northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

Sydney: Parts of Australia, including Sydney, had the hottest November nights on record, and temperatures are likely to remain high on Sunday, prompting authorities to issue a complete ban on fires.

Sydney's central business district topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Saturday while vast swaths of western New South Wales, southern Australia and northern Victoria were baked by higher temperatures approaching 45 degrees.

Temperatures were expected to exceed 40 degrees for the second day in a row on Sunday, while the Bureau of Meteorology predicted a five or six-day heat wave in parts of northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

Temperature forecasts prompted the Australian Energy Market (AEMO) operator to say demand may outpace supply in NSW on Sunday afternoon.

Australia was experiencing a hotter and longer summer with last season Prime Minister Scott Morrison dubbed "Black Summer" because of unusually intense and prolonged bushfires that burned nearly 12 million hectares (30 million acres), killing 33 people and nearly a billion animals. .

The Rural Fire Service issued a complete fire ban in most areas of eastern and northeastern New South Wales on Sunday, saying there were "predictions of a very high to severe fire risk" as hot and stormy winds exacerbate dry conditions.