“We are at risk of some storms coming into the afternoon and lingering into the early evening further away from the city into the western suburbs, as there is a trough that is beginning to make its way east,” he said.

He said it was more likely to be cloudy than wet and “it certainly has a summertime pattern to it”.

Parramatta is also forecast to reach a maximum of 27 degrees on Saturday.

Central Metropolitan Region Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said police were expecting huge numbers of people to make their way across all parts of the city to celebrate on Saturday.

“We are expecting significant crowds to be making their way into the city and harbour foreshore for tomorrow night’s celebrations, and we will have additional officers deployed to ensure this is done safely,” he said.

“We have been working closely with other government agencies and stakeholders in preparation for tomorrow night, and we will be operating from the Police Operations Centre and the Government Co-ordination Centre to co-ordinate the people and resources on the ground.

“Organisers encourage those heading to the CBD to be aware some vantage points are ticketed, with free areas expected to fill up early in the day.”

Loading

In a statement from Transport NSW, anyone travelling to the city’s centre on New Year’s Eve has been strongly urged to use public transport.

“The city is no place for cars on NYE,” the agency said.

“Significant road closures and widespread street parking restrictions will be in place this year for the safety of crowds moving around the harbour.”

Public transport across the Opal network is not free on New Year’s Eve, but extra services will run across all modes of transportation.

For anyone looking to start the year off right with a beach swim on New Year’s Day, Sunday is also expected to be warm and partly cloudy with maximum temperatures of 27 degrees for Sydney. There will also be a slight chance of showers and winds of up to 25km/h throughout the day.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.