Sydney to sizzle as heat returns - Brisbane Times

AAP

Record-breaking temperatures could hit parts of NSW as a heatwave continues across the state.

Relief is on the way, however, with a cool change expected later on Saturday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says.

Sydney will sizzle with temperatures expected to hit 39C during the day, forecaster Julie Evans told AAP.

"At 9am (AEDT) it was already at 30 degrees, which is pretty warm," Ms Evans said.

And parts of western Sydney could reach a high of 45C, before a cool change sweeps the city around lunchtime.

"We are expecting extremely hot temperatures around the state and the hottest areas will be in northwest NSW," Ms Evans said.

Bourke and Tibooburra are expected to be the hottest locations in the state on Saturday, with a predicted temperature of 47C.

Elsewhere in the state, records could be broken at Orange, Bathurst and Katoomba.

Orange is predicted to hit 38C, with the current record at 37.9C.

Bathurst could smash its current record of 40.1C, while Katoomba is predicted to reach 37C.

The current record there is 37.6C.

"These are all in the ballpark (to break records)," Ms Evans said.

There will be little immediate relief for firefighters battling bushfires, with temperatures expected to hit the late 30s and early 40s in parts of southern NSW, where severe fire danger ratings are in place.

Hot northwesterly winds of up to 50km/h could also exacerbate areas where fires are continuing to burn.