Spatiotemporal variation of intra-urban heat and heatwaves across Greater Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Rising summer heat and more frequent and intense heatwaves impact countless metropolitan regions, including Greater Sydney, Australia. An analysis of historic air temperature measurements (1859–2020) reveals a notable increase in the number of ‘hot’ (≥35 °C) days during austral summers. While in the first 120 years of records 351 hot days were identified, 478 hot days were recorded during 2000–2020 alone. Trajectories of summer heat until 2060 indicate that maximum air temperatures in Western Sydney could be ≥ 35 °C during 160 days.