Alice Springs Airport may challenge its December heat record during the next couple of days as temperatures soar in central Australia.

Image: Forecast surface temperature on Tuesday 18th December according to the ACCESS-R model

A mass of hot air is sweeping across the Red Centre during the first half of this week ahead of an approaching low pressure trough.

After reaching 42 degrees on Monday, the mercury had already hit 43.3 degrees at Alice Springs Airport by 1:20pm on Tuesday. This is within a degree of the site's December record of 44.2 degrees, set in 1972. Its all time record was 45.2 degrees, from January 1960.

An old site at Alice Springs Post Office recorded a maximum temperature of 47.5 degrees during December, although this was back in 1891. Temperature observing equipment wasn't standardised by the Bureau of Meteorology until the early 1900's.

Wednesday will be another hot day, with Alice Springs forecast to reach a similar top in the low-to-mid forties.

Maximum temperatures will drop back into the thirties from Thursday as a high pressure system moving through the Bight sends a surge of cooler air into central Australia.