Temperatures soar as heatwave approaches New South Wales

A stubborn heatwave is setting in across New South Wales, with sweat-inducing temperatures set to last for at least three days.

Inland NSW is currently suffering the worst of the scorching conditions, with Penrith and Richmond expected to hit 36 degrees by this afternoon, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

Temperatures in these areas will climb further to 38 degrees tomorrow and remain in the high-30s for the next three days.

Metropolitan Sydney will be spared the worst of the conditions, with coastal sea breezes restricting temperatures to between the high-20s and low 30s for much of the week.

A south-easterly wind pushing up the coast on Thursday is expected to bring some relief, with temperatures tipped to fall back briefly, before creeping up again on Friday ahead of the weekend.

With AAP