Sydneysiders are sweltering through a hot and sticky Sunday, with temperatures passing 30 degrees at 9.30am.
Temperatures in the city reached 34.9 degrees by 12.40pm, while Sydney's west has soared to 40 degrees at Bankstown and Penrith.
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How to stay cool in a heatwave
Sydney-siders share their tips for dealing with the record temperatures.
The mercury is expected to continue rising throughout the afternoon, reaching 38 degrees in the city and 42 in Sydney's west, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Joel Pippard, meteorologist at Weatherzone, said the heat would most likely remain in the high 30s throughout the afternoon with the maximum temperature "possible throughout the day until about 6pm".
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"A slight sea breeze is going to be switching on and off all day, so that maximum temperature should never come and stay," Mr Pippard said.
But the heat would most likely peak about 3pm, before starting to cool off after 6pm, Mr Pippard said.
A slight chance of rain and thunderstorms across the city and particularly out west is possible in the late afternoon, and is likely to hit "before any kind of cooling starts" in the early evening.
Sunday's heat is expected to break a 120-year record of the number of days surpassing 35 degrees in the summer season, Mr Pippard said.
"If it reaches 35 degrees in the city today it will exceed the record number of 35-degree days in summer - the current record of nine days was made in 1896," Mr Pippard said.
"We've already equalled that record of nine days this summer, so this is a chance to break that record."
Overnight, the temperature should drop to 25 degrees but will most likely remain in the high 20s until about midnight, Mr Pippard said.
The heat will continue on Monday with a top of 35 degrees predicted in the city and 41 in Penrith, although a "cooler breeze" should provide some relief throughout the day.
The temperatures will finally cool down with a strong southerly change late on Monday afternoon, Mr Pippard said.
The milder conditions will most likely continue on Tuesday and Wednesday with possible showers, before picking up again on Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast.
A return to uncomfortable conditions late in the week is set to be more pronounced in the west, with the temperature expected once again to climb into the 40s by Saturday.
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