EXTREME WEATHER: Sydney Heatwave - City Sets Record For Days Above 26 Degrees Celsius As Mercury Hits 41.7C!

A father and daughter at Bondi beach. The Bureau of Meteoreology forecast temperatures of 41C in Parramatta, Penrith and Richmond, with 35C in the CBD.© Jenny Evans/AAP

February 25, 2016 - SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - Sweltering day 21st consecutive day over 26C as Bureau of Meteorology predicts temperatures above 26C for the next week

Temperatures in parts of Sydney topped 40 degrees today, as the city sweated through a record streak of 21 days above 26C.

In Penrith, the temperature reached 41.7 by mid-afternoon and hovered just below into the evening.

Closer to the city it wasn't much cooler with 39.2C recorded at Sydney Olympic Park and 36.9 at the airport.

Blair Trewin of the Bureau of Meteorology told Guardian Australia the scorcher marked the 21st consecutive day of 26C or over in Sydney, a record stretch not matched at any time of year.

The next-longest streak was 19 days of temperatures above 26C in March 2014.

Trewin said the record hot spell was caused by a combination of warmer than normal ocean breezes, few major southerly winds and a lack of easterly troughs that tend to bring rain and cool temperatures. Since the streak started there has been just 9.2mm of rain in Sydney.

Sydney may continue its hot streak, with the bureau predicting temperatures above 26C for at least the next seven days. The coolest days will be on the weekend, with maximums of 27C forecast for both Saturday and Sunday.

Canberra is also feeling the heat with a maximum of 37C while Darwin and Brisbane are expecting maximums of 33C.

Trewin said: "It has been an unusually hot February in parts of the northern tropics because it's been much drier than usual for this time of year - it's normally the peak of the wet season."

The tropics were unlikely to set any records this month, though, as the hottest time of the year is usually in November/December before the wet season starts properly, he said. - The Guardian.

EXTREME WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorms Rock New South Wales - 14-Year-Old Boy Struck By Lightning; 35,000 Homes Without Power!

© iStock

November 2, 2014 - AUSTRALIA - The fires coincide with storms that have rocked much of Sydney, the Hunter and Illawarra regions, leaving more than 35,000 homes without power.

A 14-year-old boy has died after being struck by lightning at One Mile Beach, north of Newcastle.

It is understood he was standing in shallow water when he was struck, suffering a cardiac arrest.

NSW Fire and Rescue's Tom Coopers said rescue crews received a call for help from a house that was struck by lightning in Lansvale in Sydney's west.

"The fire has severely damaged the roof but it's also gotten into the walls of the structure," Mr Coopers said.

"We understand that there's a woman there aged around her 40s, we believe. She's been affected by the lightning strike in someway.

"She's felt tingling sensations in her body and so [the] NSW Ambulance service will take a look at her."

The heavy storm has caused many fallen trees and traffic lights to be blacked out across Sydney.

Dave Bushman from New South Wales SES said Western Sydney had been the worst hit by storm damage.

"Penrith would probably be the hardest hit at this point of time," Mr Bushman said.

"Since 2:00pm we've had 125 jobs come through for the Penrith area but we've also seen some significant damage around the Sutherland and southern parts of Sydney area as well - Liverpool, Bankstown, Campbelltown areas.

Source: Australian Associated Press

- Fiji Times.

EXTREME WEATHER: Hottest Spring Day in Two Years in Sydney!

Sydney has just experienced its hottest day since February, with temperatures soaring into the mid to high 30's across the city and suburbs. While other parts of Sydney have sweated through almost 40-degrees in the hottest spring day in 2-years.

The city climbed to 34.7 around the middle of the day, before a temporary sea breeze from the northeast interrupted the warming trend. However, a return of gusty winds from the northwest during the afternoon pushed the temperature back up to 37.2 degrees after 4pm, making it the hottest day since we hit 41.5 on the 5th February. This maximum of 37.2 degrees was 13.5 above the November average but still short of the 41.8 degree record set in 1982. If those in the city thought the day was hot, residents in the west did it even tougher.

Penrith reached a maximum of 38.7 degrees, which is 12 above average. A cooler southerly change was still only at Merimbula at 3pm, so it is unlikely to reach Sydney until close to midnight. Therefore it's going to be a sleepless night for most, with the cooling winds from the south only really taking hold through the early hours of the morning. Tuesday will be a little more comfortable for Sydney residents, with a forecast maximum of 26 for the city and around 30 degrees for western suburbs. - Farmonline.

WATCH: Sydney's hot spring.