Wagga's air quality reached hazardous levels on Tuesday as a thick blanket of smoke from the NSW bushfires drifted into the region.
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Wagga residents woke to the smell of smoke and a hazy sky, which the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) warned could be around for the coming days.
"This smoke is being blown in from large fires in the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and South Coast areas," the NSW RFS Riverina Zone advised.
"This smoke may continue for several days. If you are easily affected by smoke, take precautions to protect your health. Please don't call triple zero just to report smoke."
The RFS has declared a state-wide total fire ban from midnight on Tuesday until midnight on Saturday.
The NSW government's official monitor declared Wagga's atmosphere, with an air quality index (AQI) of 144, to be 'poor' early on Tuesday morning. By 11.30am, the AQI had jumped to 232 - well past the hazardous level of 200 - and reached 258 by 3pm.
In contrast, the 24 million-strong Chinese metropolis of Shanghai had an AQI of 192, and the 20 million people living in Delhi were experiencing even lower levels of 163.
The smoke meets extreme weather across much of the country this week, as heatwave conditions look to break records. Wagga is predicted to endure three consecutive days of more than 40 degrees, all of which are expected to pass the existing December heat record of 42.3 degrees, set in 1953.
Watering systems, fans, air conditioners and eskies are flying off the shelves as the community readies for a scorching few days, Bunnings complex manager John Hunter said.
"The thing that's selling the best at the moment, based on sales gross on last year, is anything to do with water - irrigation, hoses, sprinklers - that's the category that's trading its ears off at the moment," Mr Hunter said.
"The next four days, (it will be) anything about keeping cool - fans and air conditioners are going to sell very, very well. Eskies are also a category we sell a lot of ... it's amazing how people react in these extreme conditions."
The mercury is expected to reach 36 degrees in Wagga on Tuesday, 39 on Wednesday and 43 on Thursday and Friday, before to climbing to a ferocious 45 degrees on Saturday.
The highest temperature on record for the city is 45.2 degrees, twice - in mid-January 2019 and February 2009.
Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Dr Blair Trewin said the record for Australia's warmest day could also be reset during the week.
"We saw significant heat build over Western Australia over the course of last week, and that heat is now pushing east over the continent, which is going to lead to several days of exceptional heat," Dr Trewin said.
"Australia's warmest day on record occurred in January 2013, when the average maximum temperature across the continent was 40.30 C.
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"We're closely monitoring the development and progression of this heat but based on current forecasts we could see that record broken this week."
The forecast means the Christmas break has come a week early for Wagga cricketers with the hot weather forecast seeing Saturday's play abandoned.
Wagga Cricket made a call on Monday morning to abandon the planned round of Twenty 20 matches.
It's not only the forecast top of 45 which saw the early decision made, but the hot weather leading into it that raised concerns.
Meanwhile, the question of further water restrictions in Wagga has been raised by Riverina Water customers.
Permanent Riverina Water restrictions ban the use of fixed sprinklers between 10am and 5pm every day.
A report going to the board meeting this week says the expected summer conditions could trigger tighter restrictions if demand becomes high enough, but for now the council has answered "not yet" to changes.