FILE PHOTO: A woman holds up an umbrella at the Sydney Opera House during cloudy and rainy weather conditions in Sydney, Australia, April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/FILE PHOTO
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia is bracing for an intense heatwave across its north and west during the New Year's holiday weekend with temperatures forecast to touch more than 45 degrees Celsius (113°F), while severe thunderstorms were expected to hit the country's east.
The heatwave follows a wild weather system that battered the country's east over the Christmas holidays killing 10 people and knocking down power for tens of thousands, and after Cyclone Jasper earlier this month caused widespread flooding and damage.
