Forbes has sweltered through a real hot stretch, with a possible record January temperature capping a relentless week of heat.

The mercury climbed to 46 degrees at Forbes Airport on Saturday, according to Bureau of Meteorology data that was still undergoing quality control at the time of publication. The reading would edge past the town’s previous January record of 45.7 degrees.

While scorching, the temperature did not surpass Forbes’ all-time high of 46.7 degrees, recorded in February 2017.

Saturday marked the seventh consecutive day of temperatures above 40 degrees in Forbes, following a brutal run that saw Monday peak at 45.2 degrees.

The town had already experienced a burst of extreme heat earlier in the month, with four straight days in the 40s coinciding with the Parkes Elvis Festival, before conditions eased for two weeks of daytime temperatures in the 30s.

Relief arrived on Sunday, when a cool change moved through the region but unfortunately without much in the way of rain.

The change did at least deliver a more manageable top of 33.8 degrees at the airport on the first day of February.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting temperatures in Forbes to climb again, with highs expected to sit in the mid to high 30s, through the weekend.