Temperatures reach 79-year high as Sydney residents flock to the beaches

People in Sydney flocked to the beaches and tennis players were forced off court as the area recorded its hottest day for 79 years.

The mercury hit 47.3 degrees at the Penrith observation station in the city on Sunday.

#SydneyHeat UPDATE: #Penrith has now reached 47.3 degrees at 3:25pm according to the preliminary live data from the weather station there.

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 7, 2018

It still was not the hottest for the area as another weather station recorded a temperature of 47.8 degrees back in 1939.

The greater Sydney area was given a severe fire danger rating.

The Ashes cricket Test between Australia and England saw temperatures rise to what is likely its hottest day of play since 1908 when the mercury reached 43.1 degrees in Adelaide.

Sydney Cricket Ground is about midway between two weather stations where temperatures reached 43.4 degrees and 43.7 degrees.