Sydney is on its way to see another scorcher today, with the mercury rising into the mid 30's throughout the Basin. Strong, dry and gusty northwesterly winds are filtering in ahead of a low pressure trough, dragging down intense heat sourced from the interior. Maxima are expected to hit 36 degrees this afternoon throughout the Basin as the strong winds prevent any seabreeze from cooling the coastal fringe. This comes just days after much of the Sydney region hit 37 degrees, the third hottest October day on record for the city. If it manages to crack 35 degrees today, it will be the first time the city has seen two days in excess of 35 degrees this early in the month since 1944. Western suburbs such as Richmond have only seen this occur a few times this early in October since records began. Just like on Thursday, the air mass will be very dry. Combining with the strong and gusty winds, fire danger will reach extreme in the Sydney area with a total fire ban in place. In fact, there is potential that winds could become damaging. Wind gusts are likely to reach 70-80km/h throughout Sydney, with some suburbs a risk of seeing gusts to 90km/h. Relief is on its way again though, and a bit earlier than last time, as a strong southwesterly change moves through around sunset, bringing wind gusts of a similar calibre. This will bring rapid cooling, with the mercury likely to drop 10 degrees in an hour. The change might even spark a shower or thunderstorm in some parts of Sydney, more likely in western suburbs. This will result in a much cooler day on Monday, with a top only in the low 20's. However, it will become quickly warmer again ahead of another cold front, with Thursday likely to see it reach into the 30's again across Sydney.