FIERCE THUNDERSTORM ROCKS SYDNEY AUSTRALIA

[tropicana]

STORM CAUSES BLACKOUT

Wed Feb 11 2004

After days of sweltering heat, Sydney was hit by a fierce electrical storm late Wednesday night that partially blacked out the CBD.

High-rise buildings and hotels in the centre of the city were plunged into darkness about 10.35pm, but the wet weather did little to cool things down - and the run of high temperatures is set to continue into the weekend when records of consecutive hot days could be broken.

Sydney's west has endured a record six days over 36C culminating in 44C in Penrith Wednesday - its hottest February day in the nine years since records have been kept.

The city reached a high of 38C in mid-morning. with 36C in the city - bringing the seventh day over 29C. Penrith is expecting 41C.

North to north-westerly air brought hot air from the inland. It swept away a haze caused by strong surface inversions, the Bureau of Meteorology said, but a southerly hit the city at lunchtime and the haze returned.

The Rural Fire Service reported no serious bushfires. Water consumption was above average and dam levels were expected to fall this week. However, a Sydney Catchment Authority spokeswoman said humidity was expected to have curbed evaporation. Warragamba Dam, which was at 56.5 per cent of capacity at the beginning of the year, was expected to drop to just over 53 per cent when weekly figures are released Thursday.

Even in schools without airconditioning, students have been braving the heat. The Education Department said no students were sent home - schools did not finish early because there might be no supervision for children at home.

-justin-