While Sydney in Australia sweltered through its hottest day in 80 years, New York City remained in the grip of a big freeze – although AccuWeather did forecast temperatures all the way up to 31 degrees Fahrenheit by Monday afternoon.
Starkly contrasting extreme weather patterns in the two hemispheres both left a trail of havoc in their wake.
Fox News reported that in Sydney, where temperatures soared to 117 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, officials activated an extreme heat wave plan.
Complete fire bans were introduced and residents have been urged to consume more liquids and cautioned to limit their time spent outdoors as the hot weather was expected to cause a significant uptick in air pollution.
Meanwhile, much of the U.S. may finally experience some relief from bitter cold, with experts predicting temperatures to climb from record breaking lows to the milder low 30s, The Guardian reported.
Patrick Burke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said the wind would not be as punishing as it was on Thursday and Friday, CBS News reported.
"With the wind dying down it will probably feel significantly better although many of these areas will still be below freezing," he said.
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