• New South Wales, ACT, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria suffer heatwave
• Canberra hits 39C, Sydney airport 43C, Mildura 45C
• Floods hit Perth
7.17am GMT
Here’s the wrap of the day.
7.11am GMT
Gold Coast beaches are expected to reopen on Saturday as a heatwave sweeps southern Queensland.
Dangerous swells forced the closure of more than a dozen beaches on Friday, delivering a blow to those wanting respite from the heat.
6.58am GMT
Here’s a full report from AAP on the power cut to the Tomago aluminium smelter near Newcastle.
Energy provider AGL has cut power to an NSW aluminium smelter as the state tries to manage record demand for electricity.
The Australian Workers Union has warned the move could “batter” the smelter but AGL says the cut was required to ensure power was kept on in “schools, homes and other small businesses”.
6.45am GMT
Australian summer.
So hot that the concrete melted my sneakers and gave me 2nd degree burns all over the soles of my feet! ☀ #Australia #heatwave #summer
6.42am GMT
My colleagues, Michael Slezak and Dave Fanner, have put together this video explainer outlining why there’s been the risk of power shortages today.
6.34am GMT
Looks like there’s no need for load shedding.
Aust Energy Market Operator has downgraded forecast shortfall in NSW generation capacity, reducing potential need for any load shedding
6.28am GMT
Saturday’s Randwick races have been postponed due to the extreme weather forecast for Sydney. Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club made the call out of concern for the welfare of horses and punters.
Racing NSW chief executive, Peter V’landys AM, said he had been in communication with the Bureau of Meteorology as to the likely conditions.
6.18am GMT
Ten News is reporting that 11,000 homes in Strathfield and Burwood are without power. Ausgrid says it was due to fault on the local network, not load shedding as a result of excessive demand over heat, and that most customers have had services restored.
Power out to about 11,000 customers in parts of #Strathfield, #Burwood, after a fault on local network, not load shedding. Crews are on way pic.twitter.com/55zXSjUdgB
Power back to most customers in Strathfield & Burwood, crews working to reconnect 750 around Burwood Rd & Queen St, reports of wires down
Energy demand rising in parts of Sydney, C Coast & Hunter as temps soar - tracking on par with record peak day on Ausgrid network in 2011 pic.twitter.com/izVI0QiL4v
6.09am GMT
Questions have been raised over why two units at a major NSW power plant are not operational as the state faces a potential power crisis.
AGL Energy confirmed to AAP that two of the four units at its Liddell power station had been shut down due to leaks in boiler tubes, which can force outages without warning.
6.00am GMT
Hottest February day at #Sydney Airport today reaching 42.9C at 2:24pm, breaking previous record of 42.6C set on 21 Feb 1980. #heatwave
Sydney (Observatory Hill) has recorded 10 days above 35C this summer, breaking the previous record (9 days) set in the summer of 1895-96.
5.52am GMT
Enjoy a high of 21C in Tasmania on Saturday.
More reasons to migrate to Tasmania. #heatwave #doonatime pic.twitter.com/tWzINqOl8P
5.50am GMT
Meanwhile, in Perth:
A major flood warning has been issued for Northam, east of the city, with people told to prepare to evacuate. Rapid and powerful flooding is expected in the Avon River.
At least the covers stayed on at Abbett Park @mgcclub pic.twitter.com/nI7jdMd6ff
5.39am GMT
The heat is affecting the air quality in Sydney with ozone leading to poor readings in east and north-west Sydney as well as the lower Hunter, central coast and Illawarra regions.
“Poor” denotes a score of between 100 and 149 on the air quality index. Parts of Sydney had recorded similar readings in early January.
5.35am GMT
Environment NSW has closed many national parks and reserves in Sydney, across the Hunter, central coast and Great Lakes regions, and the upper central west and north-west regions as a result of the elevated fire danger over the weekend.
The acting director of the metro branch of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Deon Van Rensburg, said the closures were about safeguarding the public when the risk of fire was high.
5.29am GMT
Trunkey Rd has reopened following the grass fire on Wimbledon Rd in Bathurst.
5.26am GMT
Observations released by the Bureau of Meteorology just after 4pm have put Sydney airport at 39C, and 37.2C for Observatory Hill in Sydney.
Olympic Park, Badgerys Creek, Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury, Holsworthy, Horsley Park, Lucas Heights, Mangrove Mountain, Richmond and Williamtown were all recording temperatures of above 40C.
Current temperatures around #NSW and #Canberra. More at https://t.co/2qM1QRn3xE. #heatwave #NSWweather #ACTweather pic.twitter.com/cF7Ay25yP5
Statewide total fire ban Sat/Sun. Broad areas Severe and Extreme fire danger. Catastrophic conds from Central West to Hunter Sunday. #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/rWYDH0hXJS
5.04am GMT
Liberal Senator, Chris Back, has just pointed out in the Senate committee that Perth has experienced its coldest February maximum temperature and its wettest February day.
Back, a West Australian, also objected earlier today to references to the “national electricity market” and “national electricity grid” because it implied there was a giant cable across the Nullarbor Plain when WA is in fact not connected to the “east coast electricity market”.
5.04am GMT
Further to the warning that Tomago aluminium smelter near Newcastle might have power cut to it this afternoon, the ABC Newcastle’s Giselle Wakatama has said it has been forced to shut down three potlines by energy provider AGL.
Tomago’s chief executive, Matt Howell, told ABC Newcastle that forcing the smelter to shut down power could cause catastrophic damage to equipment and was a disgrace. The Australian Workers Union has also resisted the decision.
Powering down: #Newcastle #Tomago Aluminium plant shuts down potlines to save NSW from #blackouts @1233newcastle @abcnewsSydney pic.twitter.com/lQwVCkTg2X
. #Tomago aluminium says Australia is a country where lights should always be on. Says AGL's forced shutdown unacceptable. @1233newcastle
. #Tomago aluminium boss outraged re AGL's forced shutdown 'Should not be forcing manufacturing to the wall bc we can't keep lights on'
AGL statement re Tomago pic.twitter.com/PGaBx0Gj6X
4.37am GMT
This graphic shows temperature change from satellite from 0630 to 1330 AEDT.
Sydney Airport has hit 43C, the hottest February day on records going back over 70 years #heatwave
4.20am GMT
We’re nearing crunch time for electricity supply, with the Australian Energy Market Operator warning of potential shortfalls from 3.30pm AEDT. AEMO expects electricity demand in NSW to reach about 14,700 megawatts, the highest-ever level in the state. The real-time graphic showing electricity price and demand on its website is apparently not loading.
The Australian Workers Union has warned that the Tomago aluminium smelter near Newcastle could be “battered” if energy provider AGL cuts power for four hours this afternoon, as it threatened to do.
4.09am GMT
The Senate committee now has its star witness: the Australian Energy Market Operator’s executive general manager, David Swift. This is the body that intervened to “shed load”, ie order blackouts in South Australia when demand outstripped supply.
“We certainly weren’t asleep at the wheel,” Swift said of Wednesday’s blackout.
Related: CEFC warns against risky investment in 'clean coal' technology
4.00am GMT
Canberra: 39.3C (forecast high: 41C)
Adelaide: 36.3C (39C)
from @mpbowers' dashboard in Liverpool, Sydney #heatwave pic.twitter.com/xoCXjchxUG
3.45am GMT
Queensland will be “chiming in” with 1,000 megawatts of excess power generation to help other states, the state’s energy minister, Mark Bailey, has said.
That amount, which is what the Australian Energy Market Operator has asked for, is the maximum that can be sent via the power interconnector to New South Wales, Bailey said.
3.41am GMT
The ABC has a handy state-by-state guide to when the most unpleasant bit of the heatwave will end.
In summary: on Sunday in SA, on Sunday and Monday in NSW, and Tuesday in Queensland (although later in the north).
3.34am GMT
A 2014 study by researchers from Macquarie University on the number of heat-associated deaths found there were significantly more heat-associated deaths in the early 1900s, but that there has also been a recent increase in the 2000s:
3.30am GMT
Fire crews “are gaining the upper hand” on that blaze in Georges Plains, Bathurst.
WATCH & ACT: Wimbledon Rd, Georges Plains. #NSWRFS crews are gaining the upper hand. Residents to monitor conditions. pic.twitter.com/MsZB7KikLW
3.29am GMT
With much of mainland Australia bracing for heatwave conditions, residents in some parts of Tasmania have quite a different weekend ahead.
The forecast for Mt Wellington in Hobart warns of snow above 900m on Sunday and above 1,000m on Monday. The forecast high for each day is 6C and 7C.
3.20am GMT
As NSW, the ACT and South Australia brace for possible heatwave-related power cuts, nearly 10,000 properties in Perth have been left without electricity for another reason.
Heavy rain in WA’s south-west has caused flash flooding, cutting power to 9,000 properties. Perth has come close to having its wettest day, with more than 114mm of rain in the 24 hours to Friday morning – slightly shy of the record 120.6mm that fell on 9 February 1992.
3.15am GMT
The Greens have given their two cents on the South Australian blackout at a press conference in Canberra.
The leader, Richard Di Natale, said there was spare capacity that wasn’t used, referring to the second Port Pelican gas generator. He said the blackout was therefore like turning on your fan/refrigerator when it wasn’t plugged in.
The #heatwave sun beating down right now cld be landing on solar plants, powering our fans & air conditioners. But our gov just wants coal.
3.04am GMT
Three students have been hospitalised north of Brisbane after suffering from heat-related problems.
Paramedics treated 16 teenagers at The Lakes College about 10am AEST, and two girls and one boy were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Two students transported to hospital suffering heat related illness at The Lakes College North Lakes. @9NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/537xNndOql
2.56am GMT
Canberra residents are being reminded to reduce their electricity use as the temperature rises to 40C in the national capital.
They’ve been told to limit air conditioning by not going below 26 degrees and turning off all unnecessary lighting, the emergency services agency says.
2.52am GMT
Last chance to charge your phones ...
The chart below, from the Australian Energy Market Operator, is for New South Wales but the situation is similar for Queensland.
Shit's about to get real in the electricity market #blackout #heatwave pic.twitter.com/Rn1GwI7PxJ
2.45am GMT
Greenpeace is calling on the Turnbull government to give up its addiction to coal, which it says is making heatwaves more extreme and leaving many Australians without electricity.
Climate and clean energy campaigner Nikola Casule said: “The best way to guard against blackouts is to invest across the grid in renewable energy and storage, which provides affordable, reliable power without adding more fuel to the fire of global warming.
What a bunch of clowns, hamming it up when real people are suffering blackouts in South Australia, when the country is sweltering through a summer that feels ominous and oppressive – that heat that just won’t let up, almost as if those pesky climate scientists might be on to something.
2.34am GMT
Trunkey Rd in Georges Plains, Bathurst, is closed in both directions between Wimbledon Rd and Rockley Rd due to that grass fire. The advice from NSW RFS is to avoid the area.
WATCH & ACT: Wimbledon Rd, Georges Plains. Crews working to hold the fire at Trunkey Rd. #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/04KWF4BJvm
GEORGES PLAINS: Trunkey Rd is closed in both directions btn Wimbledon Rd & Rockley Rd due to a grass fire. Avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/L6zwIUKkWK
WATCH & ACT: Wimbledon Rd, Georges Plains. Fire moving in a SE direction towards Trunkey Rd. Firefighters assisted by aircraft. #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/Sf1cWIKXPk
2.29am GMT
Nem-Watch and RenewEconomy have produced a live widget that displays how much electricity in each state is being generated, and from what source.
When blackouts occurred in SA, it appeared politically expedient for some to blame the high proportion of renewables used in that state.
2.25am GMT
The body that runs the national electricity market is still warning of possible blackouts in NSW this afternoon.
The highest risk is now between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.
2.06am GMT
2.01am GMT
The fire in Georges Plains is an out of control glass fire on Wimbledon Road. NSW RFS has put its status at “watch and act”, reflecting a “heightened level of threat” – one step above “advice”, indicating that a fire has started but there is no immediate danger, and below an “emergency warning”, the highest level of alert possible.
1.56am GMT
Here’s chopper footage of that fire on Wimbledon Rd, Georges Plains.
“Isolated properties are in the area.”
WATCH AND ACT: Wimbledon Rd, Georges Plains. #NSWRFS crews on scene fighting a fast moving grass fire. Isolated properties are in the area. pic.twitter.com/pQ6CQTMUie
1.51am GMT
A few minutes ago the Rural Fire Service reported a “fast-moving grass fire” in the Georges Plains region of Bathurst. I’ll see what more I can find about this.
#NSWRFS crews on scene at a fast moving grass fire at Wimbledon Rd, Georges Plains (Bathurst LGA).
1.50am GMT
In Port Stephens, in the Hunter region of NSW, beach patrol hours have been extended for the weekend.
Heatwave update Port Stephens public swimming pools will be open until 8pm Sat/Sun. Plus our beaches patrolled extended hours, on demand.
It's 52C in the shearing shed near #HayNSW. Outside heading to 47. Start early, finish early. https://t.co/nIFhqrQ7GR #heatwave #riverina pic.twitter.com/RLbr8rNM2N
1.40am GMT
Labor MP Tony Burke:
We must have the world's only govt saying the answer to extreme heat & climate change is fewer renewables and more coal.#auspol #heatwave
1.30am GMT
It’s not on the market yet, but scientists have invented a material that’s cheap to produce, lightweight, and can cool a surface against the heat of the sun without using energy.
AFP reported on Thursday that a study published in the journal Science found a glass-polymer hybrid material, only slightly thicker than aluminium foil, could be “transformative” in radiative cooling technology.
1.26am GMT
As heat rises, more electricity is needed to be used by appliances around the state, especially by air-conditioners that need to work harder to keep offices and homes cool.
On Thursday the Australian Energy Market Operator sent out several increasingly dire warnings about the likely shortfall of electricity supply. The first said there would be a 19MW deficit in NSW about 3pm.
1.21am GMT
It’s a little after noon AEDT and here’s how the heatwave-affected cities are shaping up.
"There's potential for this #heatwave to break the #Canberra #heat record," @_LizHanna #climate #weather @ANUFennerSchool @ANUmedia @BOM_au pic.twitter.com/4wpuTdTBSm
1.04am GMT
Don't fight the sweat today. EMBRACE IT. #heatwave pic.twitter.com/s0IMFyge9q
Even Australia’s native fauna, evolved over centuries to cope with its extreme weather conditions, struggle in summer.
The #heatwave will cause problems for wildlife. Learn how to identify wildlife suffering from heat stress https://t.co/r0P1eDYKIV pic.twitter.com/B0TgFe9Tmh
12.59am GMT
In a statement published this morning, the Australian Energy Market Operator has warned of “tight” electricity supply conditions for NSW and the ACT. It says it’s as simple as people using more electricity – on air-conditioning and fans – because of the hot weather.
It says shortfalls could be possible during the afternoon peak from about 1530 AEDT to 1730, “which may trigger the need for localised load shedding to rebalance the power system” to protect the network from damage, meaning households would be deliberately disconnected.
12.48am GMT
While we’re on the subject of energy, construction on the Silverton windfarm in western NSW is finally set to begin, after the sale of the project from AGL to its Powering Australian Renewables Fund.
The deal will see AGL pay just $65 a megawatt hour for the first five years of the windfarm’s operation, effectively undercutting current prices for coal-generated electricity.
Related: Silverton windfarm's output will be equal to taking 192,000 cars off the road
12.47am GMT
Evidence of the carnage my colleague Naaman Zhou reported on this morning.
Fan stocks are running low. Good luck #TamworthNSW #heatwave pic.twitter.com/DO4DDHMoro
12.45am GMT
With #heatwave trending all morning, Twitter is expressing its distress the only way it knows how: in gifs.
#Australia #heatwave ☀️ #StaySafe #straya pic.twitter.com/gSI9bVb3T3
Obligatory #heatwave Tweet pic.twitter.com/0HCwElwDTv
Me now that the #heatwave is back: pic.twitter.com/IVGllVfLqP
#heatwave pic.twitter.com/O6x2Ixl7cb
How I'll be spending my Sunday #heatwave #noaircon pic.twitter.com/zSouhWAcDS
Hello Sydney #Heatwave #Melting #hurryupwinter pic.twitter.com/hyyJUgzTFF
TGIF?? #heatwave #sydney #why pic.twitter.com/d3FSG14j9t
12.42am GMT
Some energy providers are giving customers advance notice of planned power outages – this one for eight hours on 1 March, nearly three weeks away.
Work has turned up the thermostat. @essentialenergy just sent me this. Time to nationalise power generation & distribution.#auspol #heatwave pic.twitter.com/gjiqrhAUoO
12.39am GMT
The Senate committee in Canberra is inquiring into the resilience of electricity infrastructure, in part because everyone is sticking their air con on owing to global warming.
While One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts has spent most of the morning trying to get witnesses to say that you can’t power an aluminium smelter off solar energy, the Greens’ Sarah Hanson Young wants witnesses to bite back on the federal government’s tendency to blame power outages on renewables.
12.37am GMT
The RSPCA has renewed its warning not to leave dogs in hot cars, with multiple such fatalities already this summer. Police are investigating the deaths of four dogs this week in Gulgong, NSW, after being left in the back of a ute.
“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 the RSPCA’s NSW chief inspector, David O’Shannessy.
Related: Dog day afternoons: caring for your pets in extreme heat | Anne Fawcett
It's nearly 30 degrees at 9:40am in Sydney and this dog is just sitting in a park fountain pic.twitter.com/Ay4sBf2wRt
12.31am GMT
Though not all classrooms in Australia are air-conditioned, it seems there is no heatwave-related equivalent of a “snow day” granting pupils a day off. (In New Zealand, there are sometimes “earthquake days”.)
The ABC has education departments’ policies by state and it seems only in extreme circumstances will the heat force school closures. In Victoria, “extreme weather conditions” may just mean a shorter lunch break (though dismissal time is “adjusted accordingly”).
12.27am GMT
We’re not far off the forecast highs for the day, with Canberra at 35.3C, Sydney at 33.7C, Adelaide at 32.9C and Brisbane at 30.1C. (Melbourne is at a very comfortable 20.7C, and Perth, where there are flooding warnings, is just below 15.9C.)
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of severe to extreme heatwave conditions for southern Queensland and northern NSW for “several days”, with widespread temperatures in the low to mid-40s. Queensland also has high humidity to contend with.
The #heatwave situation for Friday, Saturday and Sunday from @BOM_au https://t.co/C4H9ruVN7g pic.twitter.com/N7UJ9QTKHu
12.10am GMT
In South Australia, flying foxes are reportedly dropping dead as a result of the extreme heat. The ABC reports that bats do not cope well in hot weather and that a Natural Resources SA ecologist expects the number of fatalities to rise.
Below is an image of a dead bat being bagged. SA residents are advised not to touch the animals themselves as they may be diseased.
Flying foxes dropping dead in South Australia's #heatwave https://t.co/5mAHsPeDKw pic.twitter.com/ZiL2ASED2J
12.07am GMT
If you’d like to see how One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts is engaging with the Senate inquiry into the resilience of electricity infrastructure in a warming world, the Adelaide Advertiser has his exchange with a scientist over “empirical evidence” that human activity has affected global temperatures.
12.05am GMT
A majority of Kmart, Target, Big W, Bunnings Warehouse and the Good Guys stores were claiming to have completely sold out of portable fans owing to extreme demand, with Target staff in Sydney telling the Guardian that “as soon as a pallet hits the floor, it’s gone within a couple of hours”.
“Every second customer wants a fan. I feel bad for them, because as soon as we get any, they’re gone.”
“Kmarts Ashfield, Burwood, Broadway have all run out of pedestal fans and are not getting any more in because they are now stocking up on winter items (would you believe?)”
11.51pm GMT
Tens of thousands of South Australian homes were deliberately blacked out on Wednesday evening as a result of a heatwave. SA Power Networks initially put the number of affected households at 44,000, but later confirmed to the Adelaide Advertiser that it was as high as 90,000.
The front page of today’s Tiser suggests that SA residents might be a bit fed up.
Today's @theTiser front page #newsADL #Adelaide #SAParli #FrontPagesToday pic.twitter.com/Qx0vxr8PdN
11.40pm GMT
Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, very different records are being broken in Western Australia. It’s the second-wettest day for Perth in recorded history, and could break the record for the coldest February morning.
Oops! Nice Beemer trapped in flood waters in Osborne Park this morning. @9NewsPerth pic.twitter.com/Olt92GMNhv
11.37pm GMT
NSW is bracing for catastrophic weather, with emergency services on standby and authorities pleading with the community to be vigilant.
The heatwave across the state, centred around the Hunter, will gradually worsen from Friday through to Sunday.
11.28pm GMT
Good morning,
It’s a day of extreme heat in many parts of Australia, with temperatures forecast to hit the mid-40s in parts of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. In NSW, police and health authorities, bracing for three days of 40-plus temperatures, have triggered their “heatwave action plan”.
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