SEARING temperatures and wild winds today will have firefighters on high alert and families flocking to the beach for an afternoon dip.

The “low intensity heatwave” has been building through inland Queensland this week will reach NSW today, leading experts from the NSW Bureau of Meteorology to issue damaging wind, fire and hot weather warnings.

Temperatures across Sydney are expected to hit reach the mid-30s.

In the far west Bourke will reach 39, and Tibooburra and Wilcannia will both reach a blistering 41 degrees.

“Ahead of the cold front over the weekend we have strong winds and warm temperatures that could set early season records for some stations in the central tablelands and Illawarra ranges on Friday,” a BOM Spokeswoman said.

These hot, dry windy conditions ahead of the approaching cold front have led to the issuing of total fire bans across the Greater Sydney, Illawarra and Shoalhaven areas.

Rural Fire Services Inspector Ben Shepherd said total fire bans were in effect tomorrow and would spread from the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions, through Sydney and up into the Hunter, as well as stretching down to the southern ranges.

“We want people to know what they will do if a fire threatens, what they’ll take, when they’ll go and where they’ll go,” Insp. Shepherd said.

Strong winds were expected to batter the east coast from Byron Bay down to the Eden Coast last night, while a warning for damaging winds was issued for the Snowy Mountains, parts of the ACT and the Southwest Slopes for the weekend, with peak gusts of up to 110km/h in elevated areas.