Weather warning: gale-force wind to whip up Sydney - St George & Sutherland Shire Leader

MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE:

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts damaging winds will hit Sydney this afternoon with gusts of up to 90km/h expected.

The State Emergency Service urges people to move their cars under cover, secure loose items from inside and outside homes and avoid fallen power lines

For flood or storm emergencies contact the SES on 132 500.

Australia's first major heatwave of the warming season has broken temperature records across the nation on the weekend, more than a month before the official start to summer.

On Saturday, the country set its warmest October day in records going back to 1910, with average maximums across the nation reaching 36.39 degrees, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The previous record for October was set on the 31st of the month in 1988, at 36.31 degrees.

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