Weather conditions on the bushfire are expected to deteriorate in coming days as a severe heatwave sweeps across the capital.
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Temperatures are set to reach 42 degrees on Friday and Saturday, with no chance of rain until Sunday at the earliest.
The weather pattern has been driven by strong winds from the west and north-west of the country.
Wednesday is expected to reach a maximum of 36 and mostly sunny conditions with smoke haze are expected across the city later in the evening.
Wind gusts should reach between 25km/h and 35km/h later in the day on Wednesday, before easing in the late evening.
ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan said difficult conditions were expected across the fireground throughout the week.
"The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted increasingly challenging fire weather for the coming weekend, driven by extremely high temperatures," Ms Whelan said.
"A total fire ban remains in place until midnight on January 31."
The total fire ban may be extended even further, depending on weather conditions.
Low humidity levels are also exacerbating conditions on the firefront.
Wind gusts of up to 45km/h were felt on the fireground on Tuesday evening, leading to spotting ahead of the main fire.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Rebecca Kamitakahara said a hot and dry day was expected throughout Wednesday.
"Maximums will build back to the mid 30s and up to 36 degrees in central Canberra and Tuggeranong," she said.
While a cold front is expected to pass over the ACT on Sunday, possibly bringing storms and rain, any rain in the area over the fire could be patchy.
"It's likely to be quite hit and miss, unfortunately," Ms Kamitakahara said.
Bureau forecaster Abrar Shabren said while the winds were not expected to be as strong as those which caused widespread damage earlier this month, they could exacerbate conditions on the bushfire front.
"We do see that winds are coming in from the north and north-west," he said.
"This will bring dry and hot conditions and possibly an elevated fire danger around the ACT in coming days and especially in the later part of the week."
While temperatures are set to reach sweltering levels in Canberra, they won't be as high as those seen earlier this month.
Canberra recorded its hottest day on record on January 4, at 44 degrees, breaking an 81-year record.
Mr Shabren said hotter-than average minimum temperatures in Canberra would add to the impact of the heatwave.
Lows of 19 degrees are forecast for Friday before climbing to 21 on Saturday.
"We'll see very hot conditions and overnight minimum temperatures will be quite high, and there's the possibility of a lot of humidity as well with onshore north-easterly winds," Mr Shabren said.
"It's going to be pretty unpleasant and uncomfortable conditions."
Milder conditions are expected for the coming week around the Snowy Mountains, with Jindabyne reaching a top of 36 at the height of the heatwave.
The same weather pattern set to impact Canberra later this week will also hit Sydney and large sections of the east coast.