The Gazette broke an egg on the bitumen in the Coles carpark in Richmond at 3pm on Friday when our thermometer said 47 degrees. The egg started bubbling. Photo: Kylie Pitt.
RICHMOND recorded its hottest day in nearly two decades, reaching 46.4 degrees last Friday.
According to Weatherzone, the blistering temperature made it the hottest day since records began in Sydney.
By 11am, outdoor temperatures were 40 degrees, but the hottest part of the day was recorded just before 3pm, when hot winds began sweeping parts of the district.
The continuing heat wave strained energy supplies, with most people seeking solace inside air-conditioned homes or shops or by the water.
About 444 North Richmond premises were left without power after a tree branch fell across electricity wires. Power was restored by Endeavour Energy crews within two hours.
Many residents took to the Gazette Facebook page to share the temperatures in their towns.
Eryn Hanckel posted 46 degrees in Maraylya at 12.16pm and Cassandra Isaacs said it was 45 degrees in Cattai. According to Lynette Kitching, North Richmond was a scorching 44 degrees at 12.18pm and it was a blistering 46 degrees on Yatra Sherwood’s back verandah in Hobartville at 12.49pm.
It was so hot that the road in Bilpin was sticking to tyres, Ben MacRae informed the Gazette.
Thankfully for most, a cool change arrived by 9pm bringing a major drop in temperature.
* For more photos check out the Hawkesbury Gazette Facebook page.