The first day of summer lived up to expectations with temperatures in parts of the Illawarra topping 37 degrees, marking the beginning of what should be a hot summer.
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According to the weather bureau the mercury hit 37.5 degrees at 3.30pm on Saturday at the airport at Albion Park, but sea breezes kept things cooler in coastal areas.
Hot temperatures inland made it an uncomfortable night for many. At Albion Park the temperature was still at 28.1 degrees at 12.30am yesterday, before a southerly change eventually arrived to cool things down.
Saturday's hot temperatures resulted in at least 26 patients across the state being treated by the Ambulance Service of NSW for heat-related symptoms, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
A 65-year-old Figtree man was among these and was treated for heat stroke and taken to Wollongong Hospital.
Forecasters at the Bureau of Meteorology predict this summer will be up to two degrees warmer than last summer when temperatures averaged around 23 degrees.
Weatherzone is predicting a few cool days for the Illawarra to start the week with temperatures warming up as the week progresses, returning to the low to mid-30s again on Saturday.