COOL CATS: Members of the Locke, Seymour, Burton and Davison families, from all over the Shoalhaven including Nowra, Worrigee, Wreck Bay, Sanctuary Point and Bomaderry planned to meet at Nowra Pool on Friday after they heard it was going to be another hot day for the area. Photo: DAYLE LATHAM
We asked that question on the South Coast Register Facebook site and the responses came in thick and fast, or should we say red hot?
There was a report of the temperature hitting 50.1 in a barbecue area at Nowra Hill and a host of others in the high 40s, including 48 at Bomaderry, 47.5 at Sanctuary Point, 47 at Cambewarra, Nowra behind Nowra High School and South Nowra, 46 at East Nowra, 45.6 at North Nowra, 45 at Sussex Inlet, Erowal Bay, Mollymook and Greenwell Point, 44 at Ulladulla and 42.9 at Shoalhaven Heads.
People reported pets were suffering, with one saying her husband’s birds had died and another saying a rabbit had died.
Others gave tips on keeping the small animals cool, which included placing rabbits next to bottles of frozen water while feeding them watermelon.
Around the state, there were numerous ambulance callouts to people suffering heat stress.
Other towns around the region also sweltered with 47.3 at Albion Park, 45 at Bodalla, while Sydney also reached 45.
One driver also reported the temperature outside her car was reading 50 degrees.
Officially the Weatherzone website recorded a high temperature of 45.2, which eclipses the previous highest reading on record of 45.1 back on January 30, 2003.
By 8.30am the temperature had hit 30 (30.3), two hours later it had increased to 40 and then gradually climbed to the high of 45.2 at 1.56pm.
The Bureau of Meteorology had the same reading of 45.2 at 1.56pm.
The area sweltered, and from 11.20am through to 5pm the mercury did not go below 41 degrees.
A west-nor-westerly wind at 31km/h gusting up to 50km/h and 14 per cent humidity certainly tested the mettle of the fire crews on the local fire grounds.
