By Tyne Logan, ABC
Photo: AFP
The first heatwave of the summer will reach its peak across New South Wales today, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius likely to span from Western Australia's north-west all the way to Parramatta.
The heatwave has also sparked an extreme fire danger warning for large parts of NSW.
But reprieve is around the corner - at least in NSW - with a cold front set to bring a cooler change by the end of the weekend.
It's the first taste of what's likely to be a hot summer for most of the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's long-range outlook.
Heatwave moves across the country
Severe heatwave warnings are in place for large areas of the country, including parts of the NSW coast from east of Cooma to Newcastle on Saturday, as well as Sydney and Wollongong.
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