Emergency warnings have been issued for two bushfire burning out of control near Lithgow and Newcastle.
The Rural Fire Service says the fire north of Lithgow has crossed Bells Line of Road and is threatening properties around the townships of Clarence and Oakey Park.
Residents are being warned to seek shelter as the fire impacts.
The fire has so far burned more than 500 hectares of bushland.
The second fire at Heatherbrae, north-east of Newcastle, has breached containment lines and is threatening nearby properties.
Earlier this morning authorities had warned of severe fire danger for the Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra-Shoalhaven districts.
Total fire bans are in place until midnight tonight for the three areas, plus the Central Ranges, North Coast and North Western districts.
The weather bureau has forecast temperatures will hit the mid-30s and that wind gusts could reach up to 80 kilometres per hour.
RFS spokesman Inspector Ben Shepherd said this morning that crews and aircraft were prepared for the tough conditions.
"The real thing we need to do is ensure the public are ready, because a well-prepared property actually assists firefighter in protecting it," he said.
"It also assists the home owner in ensuring that if a fire was to threaten that their property has the best chance of survival."
Around 60 fires are burning across the state, with 20 of them uncontained.
"The last thing we need is any new fires, especially under these conditions, because they will escalate quite quickly and potentially impact on homes and roads," Inspector Shepherd said.
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