Penrith is set to experience two consecutive days with temperatures above 40 degrees, prompting local residents to be careful especially with children and pets.
The Bureau is predicting a top temperature of 42 degrees in Penrith today with no chance of rain.
WeatherZone predicts the temperature will reach its peak at around 3pm today, but it’ll still be 39 degrees at 6pm.
It’ll be a warm 31 degrees at 9pm.
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Temperatures will be similar tomorrow with 42 degrees again the predicted top, but possible rain and thunderstorms are also predicted.
Penrith will finally experience some relief from the hot weather on Thursday when it’ll be raining with a top temperature of just 27 degrees.
Pets are a particular worry today, with the RSPCA urging people to be responsible.
Two dogs died of avoidable heat stress in NSW last week. One of the dogs died in a car in Sydney on Thursday after being locked in an underground car park with the windows wound down – a common misconception that leaving a dog in a car parked in the shade or with the windows down is safe.
“It’s apparent some people are just not getting the message that a parked car is no place for a dog. It can be lethal, as we see all too often,” said RSPCA NSW Chief Inspector David OShannessy.
“It only takes six minutes for an animal to die from heat stroke. Cars parked in the sun can reach temperatures in excess of 80 degrees Celsius, and can remain dangerously hot even if the windows are open. Evidently, even cars parked in the shade – even in an underground carpark – can reach lethal temperatures. A dog cannot sweat in these conditions and panting increases the heat in the car.”
RSPCA NSW is urging pet owners to plan ahead – don’t take your dog with you in the car unless absolutely vital. Make appropriate arrangements like leaving them at home in the air conditioning or a fan, and take extra precautions to help ensure animals have constant access to water and shade, as potentially lethal heat stress can develop extremely quickly in hot weather.
With the school holidays still underway, shopping centres, movie theatres and public swimming centres are expected to be extremely popular today and tomorrow.
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