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Australia is sweating its way through the first scorching heatwave of the season
The unusual temperature spike has prompted warnings from fire authorities
Heatwave will move along the east coast bringing hot air along with it
A cold front is pushing the air from the centre of the country, with rain to follow
Most of Australia is set to endure three to four days of the scorching weather
Fire services are warning people to be alert for increased risk of bushfires

By Lauren Ferri and Ben Hill For Daily Mail Australia and Aap

Published: 19:31 EDT, 31 October 2018 | Updated: 20:13 EDT, 31 October 2018

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Australia is sweating its way through the first heatwave of the season, prompting dire warnings from fire and health authorities.

Temperatures in Sydney are set to reach the mid-to high-30s by Friday and more than 40C in regional areas.

Unusually dry conditions, strong winds and scorching temperatures have also increased the risk of dangerous fires.

Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke told Daily Mail Australia the heatwave would be contained to inland areas for southern parts of the country.

Temperatures in Sydney are set to reach the mid-to high-30s by Friday and more than 40C in regional areas

'In the far north of the country parts of the tropics are getting the heatwave, such as the eastern part of Cape York,' Mr Dutschke said.

Most of southern Australia is set to endure three to four days of the scorching heatwave.

However, areas such as northern New South Wales and southwest Queensland will be met with much more severe heat.

Most of the coast will be lucky to avoid the heatwave due to sea breezes, but will still see warmer than normal temperatures.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Jake Phillips said it was the first heatwave of the season and while it won't be very intense, it could impact people more than normal given the recent run of mild conditions.

'One of the characteristics of heatwaves is not just hotter maximum temperatures but also hotter minimums,' he said in a statement.

As the heatwave stretches across most of the country, authorities have urged residents to prepare themselves for a 'killer' bushfire season.

Friday and Saturday will be the hottest days as the heatwave makes its way across the east coast before being pushed north.

There will be 'spotty' rainfall on Friday and Saturday in Sydney before the temperature drops at the start of next week.

Severe fire danger warnings have been issued for most parts of New South Wales as the weather continues to heat up

Unusually dry conditions, strong winds and scorching temperatures have increased the risk of dangerous fires (pictured)

Rainfall between five and 10mm is expected across New South Wales, rising to as much as 20mm in eastern parts of the state.

Although a cool change is expected to relieve Australia from the heat, Mr Dutschke said it's a 'fairly weak cool change'.

'The heatwave will come to an end with rain in the beginning to middle of next week,' he said.

Weatherzone meteorologist Jacob Cronje said the heatwave was the result of a cold front pushing the warm weather towards the coast.

'At the moment there is very hot air over the interior of Australia, which has had very little cloud cover,' Mr Cronje said.

'A cold front is forcing and dragging all that warm air down.'

Weatherzone meteorologist Jacob Cronje said a cold front was pushing the warmth towards the coast (stock image)

Mr Cronje said the dry conditions mixed with strong winds and high temperatures make for an elevated risk of fire, and parts of New South Wales will be pushing 40C including Griffith, Wagga Wagga and Bourke.

A high bushfire danger is likely in parts of the state, with the Rural Fire Service on alert.

Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Sheppard said forested areas up and down the NSW coast will be closely monitored.

'As this is the first heatwave of the season we're encouraging people to check their property is prepared,' he told AAP.

Friday and Saturday will be the hottest days as the heatwave makes its way across the east coast before being pushed north (Bondi Beach pictured)

NSW Ambulance chief superintendent Alan Morrison urged people to take extra care and avoid the heat, especially children and the elderly.

'Heat can kill which is why it's so important to stay hydrated and look out for the elderly, the young and pets,' he said in a statement.

Paramedics treated nearly 4500 people for dehydration between December 2017 and March 2018, and hundreds more for heat exhaustion.

In Melbourne, a high of 33C on Thursday and 29C on Friday will be followed by cooling temperatures over the weekend.

Cloud is expected on Saturday before rain hits on Sunday and Monday.

Brisbane will have warm temperatures from Wednesday into early next week, with clear skies and temperatures in the low 30s.

Looking west, Perth will have a temperature of 22C on Thursday before warming up slightly on Friday and Saturday.

Showers are expected for Saturday and Sunday, with the clouds clearing by Tuesday.

Adelaide is in for a scorching Thursday with a high of 36C before the temperature begins to cool off on Friday, dropping to 21C on Saturday.

Hobart will have a warm start to the weekend with temperatures of 23C and 24C respectively on Thursday and Friday, before dropping to 15C on Saturday.

Cloudy skies and showers will hover over Canberra on Thursday and Friday before they clear on Saturday.