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Australia’s East Coast Set To Swelter Through Spring Heat Wave

Saturday's going to be a scorcher
Those on the east coast are in for a hot day.
AFP/Getty Images
Those on the east coast are in for a hot day.

Residents on the east coast of Australia are in for a scorcher on Saturday with temperatures set to soar and authorities warning of "severe" fire risk.

Firefighters in NSW and Queensland are bracing for severe bushfire conditions as a potentially record-breaking heatwave hits, prompting firefighters to be on high alert.

The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued total fire bans for 12 of the state's 21 districts on Saturday, including the Sydney, Newcastle and Illawarra areas.

Similar restrictions may be extended into Sunday if the forecast for the unusually warm Spring weather proves accurate.

Record September temperatures are in play across much of NSW, pushing the bushfire risks to "severe" in much of the state, and posing potential health risks for the elderly and those playing sport.

In Sydney, it's forecast to reach 33 degrees while in the west the mercury could hit a staggering 37 degrees.

Further north, Brisbane is forecast for a maximum of 31 degrees, while Darwin is on track for a sweltering 34 degrees.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Grace Legge said the unseasonal heat was due to an air mass pushed over from Western Australia.

"It has been pushed by our front through WA ... it is a warm air mass we are seeing, 12- 15 degrees above average this time of year, and it is really over New South Wales, southern Queensland and Victoria," Legge told the ABC.

"We will see it move east over the next few days."

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