Rising temperatures could cause record July heat

Some south-east Australian towns could experience record July heat, as warm temperatures spread across New South Wales and Queensland at the weekend.

In Sydney, temperatures are forecast to steadily rise from a maximum 19C today to a maximum of 23C on Saturday and 24C on Sunday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

Brisbane residents can expect maximum temperatures to remain between 24C and 26C through the week and into the weekend, the BoM said. 

Some New South Wales towns could experience or approach record July temperatures at the weekend, Weatherzone meteorologist Tom Hough told 9news.com.au.

"Bourke is forecast to reach 29 on Saturday, 0.1 more than the current record of 28.9 set in 1990," he said.

"Grafton is forecast to reach 26 on Sunday, with the July record set at 28.2 in 1970," he said.

Sydney's forecast maximum weekend temperatures are a couple of degrees short of the July record of 25.9 set in 1990, Mr Hough said.

Forecasts could also change as the week progresses, he added.