As if times weren't hard enough for residents in the remote NSW town of Walgett, stuck in a rut of 40-odd degree days and with the nearby Namoi River so dry "you can ride a motorbike on it".

A lightning strike on Thursday also knocked out the town's bore water supplies, leaving tap flows to "just a dribble", Ian Woodcock, deputy mayor of Walgett Shire, told the Herald.

Definitely 'no boats' on Lake Keepit - the nearest source of reservoir water for Walgett. Credit:Gareth Gardner

"There was a bit of panic," Mr Woodcock said, adding that in his 55 years in the region, he's "never seen anything like it...it's very dire".

Much of NSW was due to get some temperature relief on Saturday, but not Walgett and the north-west, where another three days of heat close to 40 degrees was expected.