On Tuesday morning Weatherzone and the Bureau of Meteorology forecast Thursday’s daytime maximum would jump back up to 37 degrees where it would hold through Friday.

Winds on Friday will range from 15 to 20 km/hr from the North West in the morning before shifting to a North Easterly in the afternoon, bringing a 20 per cent change of thunderstorms.

On Saturday, the temperature is predicted to climb past 40 degrees with an 80 per cent chance of showers. 

Weatherzone’s Rob Sharpe said severe cells were likely, with damaging winds, heavy rain and large hail possible.

The good news is the hot weather doesn’t look like it’ll reach the extreme temperature and duration of last weekend. 

Sunday will see the daytime max drop back to the mid-20 degree point, with a 95 per cent chance of showers.

“On Sunday the trough will shift further northeast, bringing cooler air in its wake,” Mr Sharpe added.

“The storm risk will primarily spread over the Hunter, Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands. Again storms are potentially severe.”

The effects of last weekend’s heatwave, dubbed by weather watchers and fire fighters as “Hell on Earth”, are still lingering in the Hunter.

Maitland recorded its hottest day in 49 years, when the temperature surpassed 45 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday.

Thousands of firefighters worked through the worst fire conditions in the state’s history, battling and containing blazes to the North and West of the Hunter.

Temperatures in Singleton reached 47.2 degrees on Saturday and hundreds of dehydrated flying foxes in the Burdekin Park colony fell from their trees or died, still clinging to the branches.

In Cessnock and Maitland, colony carers hosed the animals in a bid to keep them alive. The colonies remain largely unharmed by the heat.