Wednesday saw temperatures reaching and exceeding 40 degrees in the afternoon, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting dry, windy conditions and a likely temperature of 41 degrees on Thursday.

Pools have been packed and there has been the occassional power outage but Canberrans have coped, often with good humour.

St Peter's Anglican Church in Weston greeted the heatwave with a bit of wit. "Too hot to keep changing sign – sin bad, Jesus good, details inside," read the church sign outside. It prompted one observer to respond on Twitter, "Don't worry St Peter's - it's also too hot to sin."

But the authorities are also warning of the dangers of a continued heatwave forecast only to break at the weekend.

The Total Fire Ban meant a number of road and nature reserve closures announced for Thursday:

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and some roads within Namadgi National Park including Apollo Road, Orroral Road, Old Mill Road, Warks Road, Mount Franklin Road and the Corin Dam Road, Googong Foreshores, Kowen Forest, Lower Molonglo River Corridor, Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve, Mulligans Flat Woodlands Sanctuary and the Centenary Trail between Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve and Hall.

The Meteorology Bureau's Anita Pyne said Canberra was on track to break its record for the number of consecutive days above 40 degrees.

In February, 2009, three days of 40.3 degrees were recorded.

But while there is a chance Canberra's hot weather record – set on February 1, 1968 when temperatures reached 42.2 degrees – forecasters aren't predicting temperatures above 41.

A trough and high pressure system is bringing hot air from central Australia where overnight temperatures have remained in the 20s as heat is trapped in the region.

A cool change is still expected late on Friday night or early on Saturday morning so temperatures are expected to drop to around the January average at the weekend.

But in the meantime, while the heat continues, the ACT Ambulance Service advised Canberrans to:

Conservator for Flora and Fauna, Ian Walker, said high temperatures this week could leave native wildlife feeling heat stress but he encouraged people to not approach native animals, particularly avoiding bats.

"The extreme heat is stressful for our wildlife so it is important to avoid approaching them and unwittingly causing them additional stress or putting yourself in harm’s way.

"You can also help by keeping your pets inside or on a lead to avoid contact with animals on the ground or in a weakened state during this time," he said.

The ACT RSPCA again warned Canberrans against leaving pets in hot cars, which can lead to an animal's death in six minutes.

Urban Treescapes manager Rachael Dawes called on local residents to help water Canberra's street trees, which are only watered once a month by the government but work to cool down suburban streets.

"While we are doing our best to ensure Canberra’s trees remain healthy, any help from the community in terms of watering is always appreciated and very beneficial," she said.

Meanwhile, an early-afternoon power outage forced the National Gallery of Australia and the National Library of Australia to close, leaving visitors in search of airconditioned relief to find another location.

The gallery was closed for two hours, re-opening at 3.30pm, while the National Library remained closed for the remainder of the day.