As a haze hung over Sydney on Saturday, residents in parts of the city were warned to avoid outdoor activities as the air quality reached "hazardous" levels.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
High pollution levels were recorded across the Sydney basin on Saturday, as hazard-reduction burning efforts are stepped up ahead of an expected active fire season.
Sunday will see a spike in temperatures and a pickup in winds, with little sign of rain for at least a week.
Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said he hadn't seen conditions this dry so early in the season for 10-15 years.
NSW had its driest winter since 2002, with maximum temperatures the third-warmest on record, the Bureau of Meteorology said on Friday.
Among the areas with controlled burns this weekend are bushland near Fishermans Point on the Hawkesbury River, and an area near Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.
Gusty conditions were expected to strengthen overnight, which would clear the air pollution but exacerbate fire risks.
"Tomorrow we are looking at very gusty, north-northwesterly winds," Weatherzone meteorologist Jessica Miskelly said.
"We are looking at quite a few 'very high' [fire danger warnings] across the state tomorrow and the possibility it could push to 'extreme' around the north coast and the western Blue Mountains," she said.
"It depends on how hot it gets and the wind speed at the time, and how dry it is."
Temperatures were expected to deliver an unusually hot first weekend of spring, with the mercury peaking at 28 degrees for Sydney on Sunday. That's about 8 degrees above the average for this time of year.
Ms Miskelly said the gusty conditions would "slowly pick up" overnight, and then intensify throughout Sunday ahead of a cold front moving through.
'Hazardous'
As the air quality deteriorated across the city on Saturday, NSW Health warned people with respiratory conditions to take extra caution.
As shown below in the government's air quality index, the worst of the pollution came during Saturday morning in Chullora and Earlwood.
"If you have asthma you should follow your Asthma Action Plan and take your relieving medication where necessary and if symptoms get worse, seek medical advice," NSW Health Director of Environmental Health Branch, Dr Ben Scalley said.
At-risk groups, such as people with lung disease, older residents and young children were advised to avoid all outdoor physical activities.
Hazard-reduction burning was expected to continue throughout Saturday.
Weatherzone is owned by Fairfax Media, publisher of this website.
