The western suburbs will heat up more, with 32 degrees reached in Penrith on Tuesday and four days of 35-36 degrees expected, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Sydney's long summer runs into autumn at Bondi Beach. Credit:Peter Rae A ridge of high pressure that has hovered fairly close to the NSW will move further east in coming days, Brett Dutschke, a senior meteorologist with Weatherzone, said. "So the winds will turn a bit more northerly," Mr Dutschke said. "This week will be warmer than last week." While the dry, calm, and mostly sunny days are making it seem that summer will never end, its demise is in sight.

By early to next week, a cool change will finally penetrate far enough north to dislodge the blocking high that has keep Sydney warm. The system has also lately roasted inland regions of Victoria and NSW with temperatures exceeding averages by more than 10 degrees for days on end. A slew of towns have set heat records, Mr Dutschke said. Albury, for instance, has had its longest run of 35 degrees in March during its 59 years of records. The series of seven such days has another five to go, according to forecasts.

Mildura, in north-western Victoria, has had its hottest March day in 74 years with 42.1 degrees reached on Sunday, he said. Broken Hill, Griffith, and Deniliquin are among other regions facing sustained well-above average heat. Tuesday, for instance, became Deniliquin's seventh consecutive 38-degree day, breaking the March record set in 1934, Mr Dutschke said. The town reached 41 degrees, the hottest place in NSW. By Wednesday, the Riverina town will likely mark its longest run of 38-degree days since January-February 2009 when a record-breaking 13 days of this sort of heat baked the region. Cooler if not very cool

The cool change, when it does reach Sydney, is more likely to be marked by the return of rain rather than a sharp drop in temperatures, Mr Dutschke said. "The change is more about an increased chance of rainfall," he said. "We're likely to get a run of wet days - it will be cooler...but it's probably not going to be real cool," Mr Dutschke said. "Most days will be warmer than an average." The rain and cloud cover will probably see the run of 26-degree or warmer days snapped, at least for a few days. Before then, the beach may be the place to head with sea temperatures remaining a relatively balmy 24 degrees, according to NSW Beachwatch.