The Hunter baked through one of the hottest weekends in recent years prompting the postponement of Saturday's horse racing meeting in Newcastle.
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Temperatures hit the low to mid 40s across the region on Saturday afternoon. The region's top temperature was at Cessnock Airport, which recorded 44.5 degrees at 5.30pm on Saturday.
Tocal reached 42.9 degrees on Saturday afternoon, Williamtown 42, Scone 41.2 and Nobbys 38.8.
The temperatures were, on average, about two to three degrees short of the all-time records, which were mostly set in February 2017.
The extreme heat forced Newcastle Jockey Club to postpone its Saturday race meet because of the extreme weather, saying in a statement "horse and rider welfare are paramount".
But the course remained open for hospitality purposes.
Saturday's Olive Tree Markets went ahead in Civic Park, but the crowd appeared to be well down from usual.
Despite the conditions, McDonald Jones Stadium still posted and attendance figure of 5458 for Saturday afternoon's Jets A-League and W-League double-header.
The men's match, which ended in a 0-0 draw with Western United, kicked-off at the allotted 5pm start time but there were two drinks breaks put into each half.
The women's fixture, afterwards, was pushed back to a 7.50pm kick-off time - extra drinks breaks were also added in the side's 2-0 win over Brisbane.
After sweltering through sauna-like conditions on Saturday night, the mercury had again reached the high 30s to early 40s by 10am on Sunday.
The Newcastle Vegan Market at The Station on Sunday remained popular - with a cooler breeze was sweeping across the city by midday.
Roger Elfenbein, whose business Zentient Culture was running a kombutcha stall, said the turnout was "absolutely" encouraging on a hot day.
"Probably between 9am and 10.30am was probably peak hour - there was a lot of traffic then," he said.
Heatwave conditions, combined with bushfire smoke from other parts of the sate, prompted NSW Health to issue a warning for poor air quality on Sunday.
"It's important for people to take steps to minimise their exposure," NSW Health medical advisor," Dr Adi Vyas said.
Temperatures are forecast to remain in the mid to low 20s this week.
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
