Hottest day ever for Narooma, Moruya

The Bureau of Meteorology weather station at the Narooma Marine Rescue headquarters on the headland at Narooma recorded a maximum 43.8 degrees on Friday, including 43.6 at 3pm.

Local weather watcher Brian Gunter provided the data that proves Narooma reached its hottest temperature ever.

Maximum temperatures this month and previous maximum highs are:

Narooma (Marine Rescue) over period 2000-2013:

* January 18, 2013 - 43.8

* January 8, 2013 - 40.5

* January 1, 2006 - 43.5

Moruya Airport over period 2000-2013:

* January 18, 2013 - 45.9

* January 8, 2013 - 41.7

* December 11, 2009 - 43.0

* January 1, 2006 - 44.0

* January 10, 2003 - 45.0

Moruya Heads Pilot Station over period 1955-2013

* January 18, 2013 - 43.8

* January 8, 2013 - 40.5

* January 1, 2006 - 43.1

* January 30, 2003 - 43.2

* February 1, 1968 - 43.3

Mr Gunter said it was just a coincidence that the two Narooma and Moruya Heads extreme temps in January 2013 were identical!

Temperature readings at the current station in Narooma only began in 2000, but he did also have graphs showing the longer-term extreme temperatures at Moruya Heads and Narooma that we hope to publish on the Narooma News website later today.

As the whole state swelters this summer, the NSW Ambulance Services as of Friday had dealt with 182 cases of heat exposure in the previous 10 days.

On Friday, by 1.10pm the service had already responded to 21 cases of heat exposure, including a 50-year-old man at the Murrah, south of Bermagui.

Sydney also recorded its hottest day on record on Friday with 45.8 recorded at Observatory Hill at 2.55pm.

This broke the previous record of 45.3 on January 14, 1939.

Meanwhile, the temperature gauge on the RSL War Memorial on the hill in Midtown Narooma is obviously still broken reading 85 degrees, but the local electrician who donated his time to install the new digital clock is aware of the fault and is waiting for slower times to repair it.