A stubborn heatwave is settling in across NSW with little relief in sight for days as warm air blown in from central Australia blankets the state.
The mercury is forecast to hit 38 degrees in Penrith on Monday, with Parramatta only slightly cooler on 33 degrees.
"Then it just gets worse all through the week," senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, Neale Fraser, said.
The heat will remain above 35 degrees until a cool change and showers forecast for Thursday.
Coastal sea breezes will keep temperatures in the CBD slightly cooler with maximums likely to reach 29 on Monday and peak around 34 degrees on Wednesday.
The warmth is being blamed on hot central Australian winds settling in across NSW, with little relief in sight for many days.
Inland NSW will bear the brunt of the scorching conditions, with the heatwave expected to intensify to severe or extreme levels as the week wears on.
Temperatures in parts of the state's north-west will peak in the mid-40s later in the week and soar to 46 degrees in small towns on the state's border.
"It'll be 40s in the northern inland areas - at least mid-40s on Friday - so it'll be very hot for people inland, especially in the northern half of the state," Mr Fraser said.
A southeasterly change pushing up the coast on Thursday is expected to bring some relief, with temperatures tipped to fall back briefly, before creeping up again on Friday ahead of the weekend.
The same conditions have made for especially humid and uncomfortable weather in Melbourne, where overnight temperatures stayed above 28 degrees and tops reached 37 degrees.
The story, NSW heatwave to send temperatures soaring above 45 degrees, first appeared on the Sydney Morning Herald.
