Australia endured its hottest September day on record, with more than a fifth of the country setting new highs.
The mean maximum temperature on September 22 was 33.47C - more than six degrees warmer than the month's average, the Bureau of Meteorology said in a special climate statement published on Thursday.
It broke the previous record set on the last day of September in 1998 of 33.39C and was the warmest since records began in 1911.
NSW and Queensland experienced their hottest September days on record the following week, while South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory each had days in their top-10 warmest for September.
"More than 20 per cent of Australia by area recorded its hottest September day on record during 22-29 September," the Bureau said.
NSW as a whole experienced its hottest September day on record on September 23, with a mean maximum temperature of 35.81C - more than 1.5C above the previous mark and nearly 15C warmer than the long-term average.
The bureau noted that spring has warmed by around one degree since 1910 across Australia, consistent with what's been observed around the world.
"Studies undertaken by the bureau and other scientific institutions have shown that climate change has contributed to the severity and frequency of recent heat events, including spring warmth," it said.
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