In an unprecedented move by authorities, thousands of households received emergency text messages and phone calls on Saturday evening, warning them they should leave their homes if they live in a bushfire prone area. 

“If you are in a catastrophic fire danger area and you are close to the bush, the safest thing to do right now is to go to a major town that is well away from the bush,” Rural Fire Service spokesperson Paul Best said on Sunday morning. 

“The conditions are so dangerous that the safest option for people in those areas is to leave. They should not wait for the heat of the day to set in.” 

A major multi-agency briefing was held on Sunday morning and strike teams were being deployed to high risk areas across the Hunter. 

It comes after a “shockingly hot” day on Saturday which saw long standing temperature records broken in a string of inland towns. 

According to Weatherzone, the mercury soared to 46.8 degrees in Cessnock and 47.2 in Singleton, making it the hottest day in Cessnock since records began. 

Maitland recorded a top temperature of 45.6 degrees – its hottest day in 49 years – and Williamtown reached 45.5 degrees. 

Newcastle University reached 43.5 but it was cool by comparison along the coast, with a sea breeze keeping the temperature in the mid-thirties. 

A “very weak change” came through late in the evening, meaning the uncomfortable conditions persisted throughout the night. At 9pm, the city’s beaches were still teeming with people trying to escape the heat. 

Senior meteorologist at Weatherzone Jacob Cronje said relief was on the way, but a cool change would not kick in until late on Sunday evening. 

“Inland we will still see exceptionally warm temperatures on Sunday, probably in the order of magnitude of what we saw yesterday,” he said. “Particularly for Singleton and Scone.” 

“A cool change will come that will dramatically drop temperatures to below the 20 degree mark but it won’t be until much later in the day.” 

Authorities stressed that outdoor activities – including bushwalking – should be off limits during the heatwave conditions, after three bushwalkers had to be rescued near the Hawkesbury River on Saturday. 

The teenagers had been attempting a 10 kilometre walk with heavy backpacks in temperatures exceeding 43 degrees and had to call for emergency assistance as they ran out of water. 

“Their actions...not only put themselves at risk, but also the first-responders as well,” Deputy State Emergency Operations Controller Acting Assistant Commissioner Kyle Stewart said. 

Any fire that ignited in the Hunter was likely to burn “uncontrollably” in Sunday’s conditions, Mr Cronje said. 

“When it is this dry and hot, the wind doesn’t need to do much for a fire to spread uncontrollably. And what we’re expecting is quite a strong and dry wind.”