Temperatures in Sydney's west today rose as much as ten degrees above average today as hot, dry winds blew across the city.

Penrith recorded the cities highest temperature reaching a top of 39.3 degrees, nine degrees higher than their January average of 30 degrees, and their hottest day in two years. Horsley park also reached 39 degrees today, which is again nine degrees above average and is at least two degrees warmer than any day last summer.

Bankstown reached a top of thirty-eight degrees, a massive ten degrees above average which was their hottest day in two years as well as being three degrees hotter than any maximum temperature last year.

Residents of Sydney's western suburbs can expect further hot weather tomorrow with temperatures likely to be at least as hot as today, possibly even a degree or two hotter.

Over the next 3 days, a high over the Tasman Sea will be directing North/Northeasterly winds over NSW. This will bring very warm and moist tropical air from northern latitudes. Over the western suburbs temperatures will climb to around 37 on Monday, 39 on Tuesday and 35 on Wednesday. Eastern Suburbs however should not experience such high temperatures as seabreezes will keep temperatures at around 30 degrees over the coast.

The heatwave is expected to last until early Thursday when a cooler southerly change is expected to drop temperatures back to the mid and lower 20s and bring the odd shower.

Over the last week daily rainfall has added up to produce some of the heaviest cumulative totals in years across Queensland's Gulf Country.

In the past four days Gereta Station, near Mt Cuthbert in Queensland, has received a massive 472 millimetres which is their heaviest four day accumulation in at least six years. At nearby Riversleigh there has been 367 millimetres recorded over the past four days, which is their highest in 4 years.

Further north in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Mornington Island has received 318 millimetres over the past five days which is their heaviest in nearly two years. Sweers Island which is also in the Gulf has received an impressive 318.

Further south in the Northwest forecast district Julia Creek, about 260 kilometres east of Mt Isa, has recorded 168 millimetres which is their highest five day accumulation in nearly six years.

Heavy rain is expected to continue across far northern QLD for the next couple of days as the tropical low which has been causing all this rain continues to
move further west. More traditional monsoonal rain are forecast to redevelop on Thursday when the monsoon trough moves north again.