High resolution images from the Himawari-8 satellite captured plumes of dust and smoke moving over NSW and the Tasman Sea on Thursday.

A cold front passing over southeastern Australia on Wednesday and Thursday caused dry westerly winds to whip up a large plume of dust in NSW. As the sun rose on Thursday morning, the dust could be seen stretching from Australia's eastern inland and out across the Tasman Sea.

Image: Himiwari-8 satellite image showing dust stretching over NSW and the Tasman Sea on Thursday morning.

As this broad plume of dust gradually thinned out, smoke could be seen billowing out of numerous bushfires in eastern NSW that were being fannned by dry westerly winds.

At 4pm AEDT, Emergency Warnings were in place for four separate fires burning between Forster and Tenterfield, while thick smoke blanketed a number of communities in central and northeast NSW.

Image: Himiwari-8 satellite image showing dust over the Tasman Sea and smoke billowing out of bushfires in eastern NSW on Thursday afternoon.

Hot, dry and windy weather will maintain elevated fire danger ratings in parts of eastern Australia on Friday, prompting the NSW RFS to declare total fire bans in five fire areas across the state's northeast. Severe to extreme fire danger ratings are also likely to extend into southeastern and central Queensland on Friday.

A broad mass of hot air is also elevating fire danger ratings in Western Australia during the second half of this week. Severe to Catastrophic fire danger ratings are forecast in some parts of the state beteen Thursday and Sunday, with Perth forecast to reach a top of 38 degrees on Saturday.