Weather bureau forecaster Angus Hines has tipped today’s NRL grand final day to be the hottest on record.
Speaking on Nine’s Today on Sunday morning, Hines said the mercury is tipped to peak at 36C at Olympic Park this afternoon.
“If that comes through, that would make this the hottest grand final day on record,” he said.
The hottest grand final day to-date was 2014, when the mercury peaked at 34.7C. The Rabbitohs won that night, 30-6 over the Bulldogs.
Hines said that peak is forecast to be around the time the NRLW grand final between the Knights and Titans gets underway at 3.55pm AEDT.
He warned the mercury was expected to stay high for the duration of the evening, and might not have dropped beneath 30C by the time the men’s game kicks off.
“It will be past the warmest time of day, but still a very balmy night with the forecast temperature maybe around 30 or 31 for kick-off and perhaps dropping through into the upper 20s across the course of the match,” he said.
Under the NRL’s heat rules, a mandatory drinks break can be taken at a stoppage around the mid-way point of each half, and teams can be given extra interchanges.
The half-time break can also be extended.
For fans watching the game from home and planning a barbecue, a total fire ban is in place across a large chunk of the state including the Sydney basin and Hunter region.
While gas barbecues are permitted, the burning of solid fuel including wood and coal is not allowed – including wood-fired pizza ovens.
