Summer will arrive bang on time for Armidale which is set to sizzle with a heatwave of temperatures in the mid-30s next week.
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Since mid this month Armidale has gotten a taste of summer, with temperatures above 25 degrees since November 15.
Armidale has already recorded four days above 30 this month - the hottest was on November 16 when the mercury reached 32.3.
However, we're in for an even hotter week next week as summer officially arrives.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the mercury will start to rise into the high 20s on Friday before hitting 30-plus degrees over the weekend and well into next week.
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Friday is forecast to reach a top of 28 but the temperature only climbs from there. Saturday is expected to get to 32 degrees, while Sunday will hit 34.
Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be 35 degrees and things will peak on Wednesday with a scorching top of 36 expected.
It will also be warm at night with the temperature set to stay above 11 degrees over the next week. Wednesday's minimum is forecast to be balmy 20.
The heatwave is expected to be felt across the state, with temperatures up to 10 to 16 degrees above the average across the state for this time of year with little relief overnight.
"NSW will not be spared with temperatures climbing easily into the mid 40s for vast swathes of the western part of the state and even into the low 40s for some coastal areas," meteorologist Helen Reid said on Wednesday.
"We will see temperatures drop a little bit overnight ... but when you're dealing with a couple of days in a row of well above 40 degrees, it is really pretty much getting into severe heatwave territory."
Hot winds will move across the state from inland Australia, with the worst of it hitting the central parts and the northeast.
The extreme heat and windy conditions would bring a severe fire danger on the weekend particularly in the Northern Rivers region and northwest of the Great Dividing Range.
"It will also be quite windy so we are keeping a close eye on the fire danger which is associated with this warm, heatwave situation," she said.
"It is going to be quite a volatile situation."