Weather records smashed as Western Sydney swelters

Sydney is sweating through an unseasonably hot November, with records falling as temperatures soar.

In Richmond the mercury hit 45.3C making it the hottest November day in 75 years.

Penrith reached a top of 44.9C – its highest temperature since records began there 19 years ago.

Although Sydney’s CBD is just 60 kilometres away by road, it was a world away as far as temperatures were concerned with the mercury nudging just 29 degrees.

The city and its beaches were blanketed in a rare sea fog which forms when hot air comes into contact with much cooler water.

It is a rare phenomenon and only occurs in Sydney every one to two years.

By late afternoon the sea fog had begun to clear and is unlikely to return tomorrow.

At 8pm, there at were at least 80 bush and grass fires burning across NSW, with about 20 of those thought to have been started by lightning strikes as evening storms rolled in.

Seven areas across the state, including greater Sydney, are currently subject to total fire bans.