The 35.7-degree day the city baked through on December 10 broke a decade-old record of 34.7 degrees from 2009, but both marks will be made to look relatively arctic thanks to a scorching run of 35-degree-plus days on the cards.

Orange is predicted to hit 37 degrees on Thursday and Friday before roasting through just the city's second 40-degree day on record this Saturday.

Orange broke through the 40 degrees barrier for the first time in February, 2017, leaving the record at 40.1 - a mark that'll be under threat this weekend as we prepare to sweat through an extremely warm Christmas period.

There's also none-to-little rain forecast, with a 40 per cent chance of less than 1mm predicted for Sunday.

Around the region, records will continue to fall with the mercury to soar to 45 degrees in Dubbo, Forbes and Wellington on Saturday.

It'll be a tad cooler at 44 degrees in Cowra, Grenfell, Mudgee, Parkes and Young.

A total fire ban is in place for the Central Ranges on Monday, with these councils included in the ban: Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Lithgow, Mid-Western, Oberon and Orange.

Meanwhile, Bells Line of Road remains closed to traffic as firefighters battle the huge Gospers Mountain bushfire that is threatening Blue Mountains towns.