Sydney Suburb Of Penrith Hottest Place On Earth At 120F; Winds At 80 MPH, Fires Generating Lightning
Bushfires raging across Australia are generating so much heat they are creating their own storms, with authorities warning wind conditions are causing some of the biggest fires to merge. Fire tornadoes and dry lightning have sparked even more blazes, as temperatures soared to new highs today - 48.9C (120F) in Penrith, 45C (113F) in Sydney and 44C (111F) in Canberra.
Penrith, a suburb of Sydney, was the hottest place on Earth on Saturday, the Met Office confirmed to Sky News. It was the hottest day ever recorded in greater Sydney.
Link to tweet
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service has updated emergency warnings, telling those who have not evacuated at-risk areas: "It is too late to leave. Seek shelter as the fire approaches." Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: "In recent times, particularly over the course of the balance of this week, we have seen this disaster escalate to an entirely new level."
Victoria had 14 fires rated at emergency or evacuate warning levels on Saturday evening, while New South Wales had 11 rated emergency and more than 150 others burning across both states. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said: "There are a number of fires that are coming together - very strong, very large, intense fires that are creating some of these fire-generated thunderstorms.
Link to tweet
EDIT
https://news.sky.com/story/australia-bushfires-death-toll-rises-as-3-000-army-reservists-are-deployed-11900782
= new reply since forum marked as read
Although there have been some power outages due to fire-damaged lines and substations, it's been a fairly minor issue so far.
For some local perspectives, see: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-04/nsw-bushfires-rfs-issues-emergency-warnings-amid-dire-weather/11840524
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
After all this is over, I can't imagine the massive amount of respiratory problems Australia's medical system will be dealing with. There's also the matters of housing the thousands of homeless and then comes flooding, mud flows and polluted streams from burn areas when rain finally comes.
Our thoughts and wishes for safety go out to all of Australia today........
Oh yeah this is because some wacko threw a cigarette into the brush. 
What is the Australian Prime Minister doing about it? Is he still vacationing or fiddling?
I lived in AZ for years and I am very familiar with those extreme temperatures. Add a firenado? Those poor people. 
