Australia’s capital cities are set to experience a rise in temperatures this week, as a swath of hot air traverses the nation.

Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino explained that a high-pressure system located south of Australia has facilitated the accumulation of hot air over Western Australia recently.

“On Sunday, this hot air pushed towards the west coast, causing Perth to record a maximum temperature of 40.1 degrees,” Domensino noted.

Looking ahead, Melbourne is forecast to see temperatures soar to 32 degrees tomorrow, with the mercury climbing even higher to 37 degrees on Thursday.

Hobart is also expected to warm up to around 29 degrees tomorrow before experiencing a cooldown on Thursday.

In the meantime, the hot air mass is anticipated to remain over New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory throughout the week.

Western Sydney could get close to 40 degrees on Friday, while Canberra could reach the low-to-mid 30s from tomorrow to Saturday.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe heatwave warning for parts of NSW including Illawarra, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, South West Slopes and Riverina.

The heat will be accompanied by rain and thunderstorms in parts of the country as moisture feeds into a low pressure trough on the western flank of the high pressure system.