The Illawarra is set for a scorcher on Monday with temperatures expected to hit 30 degrees.
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There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.
Sydney's scorching weather is set to continue on Monday, with temperatures forecast to surge beyond 31 degrees and the chance of a thunderstorm developing during the day.
In Sydney's western suburbs, temperatures are expected to hit the mid-30's, eclipsing Sunday's high of 36 degrees, said Jane Golding, a meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.
On Sunday, the Illawarra was blanketed in a haze as people took advantage of the warm weather to soak up some sun by the water.
Temperatures remained steady throughout the region, hitting a top of 28 degrees.
There is a total fire ban across Northern NSW and the Illawarra and Shoalhaven are at ''very high'' fire danger.
El Nino chance
The Bureau of Meteorology said last week that an El Nino had a 50 per cent chance of developing this year.
Andrew Watkins, the Bureau of meteorology's manager of climate prediction services told Fairfax Media that records could be broken even without a "full-blown El Nino" because of the planet's broad scale warming.
The Bureau warned that hot and dry conditions are expected, prompting bushfire warnings.
"We are expecting a warmer than average summer for the next three months," said Ms Golding.
A spokesman from Weatherzone said Sydneysiders should not be complacent about the threat of fires despite the heavy rainfall experienced in storms earlier this month.
"Sydney as a whole has done quite alright in terms of rainfall this month," the spokesperson said. "We've exceeded our average total in terms of rain already, but we can't become complacent when we start bushfire season."
- with SMH
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