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There are about 60 fires burning across the state, with conditions expected to ease on Monday.
Conditions are expected to worsen on Tuesday, with Greater Sydney and Greater Hunter regions facing catastrophic fire danger.
Here's a summary of today's events and you can follow our fire map throughout the night.
Moisture levels of live trees and shrubs around Sydney are lower than during the Black Christmas fires of 2001 as the region braces for "catastrophic" fire dangers on Tuesday.
Satellite maps to the end of October prepared by Rachael Nolan, a fire researcher at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, show conditions are much drier than normal for woodlands close to the city, writes Peter Hannam.
The moisture content of live plants, particularly leaves and trees, had been falling fairly steadily since March, passing a critical threshold in August. Only the same period in 2002 was drier.
"We already knew it was going to be bad" even before Tuesday's declaration of "catastrophic" fire dangers for the Sydney and Newcastle regions, Dr Nolan said.
The low moisture levels mean that if fires break out they can more easily get away, she said.
NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers Bob and Greg Kneipp, also father and son, share a smile after successfully defending a property in Torrington, near Glen Innes on Sunday.
Wytaliba resident PJ and his partner were amongst the last to leave their small town as the firestorm destroyed their home.
On Friday, Wytaliba resident David Peters watched his beloved tavern burn.
Firefighters have gained the upper hand on a massive bushfire that destroyed a home, sheds, cars and forced thousands to flee on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
More than 50 fires continue to burn across the state on Sunday, including the huge fire in the northern suburbs of Noosa, that is now burning within containment lines.
Noosa Mayor Tony Wellington said gusty northwesterly winds early on Sunday had caused the main firefront to flare up but a significant firefighting effort allowed crews to gain control late in the day.
"They threw masses of resources at it because they were very concerned it might impact on more houses," he told AAP.
"But they were able to hold it back, which is terrific."
Residents have now been allowed back into their homes, however they've been urged to remain vigilant.
AAP
NSW Health is reminding people to take precautions as smoke from bushfires across the state is expected to continue to impact air quality over the coming days.
“People with conditions like asthma, emphysema and angina are more likely to be sensitive to the effects of smoke,” said NSW Health Director of Environmental Health Dr Richard Broome.
“Smoke from bushfires can be quite unpredictable, but we’re expecting poor air quality in a number of places into next week.
“For most people, smoke will be no more than an irritation.
On Sunday afternoon, conditions had eased but the reality of the damage across Taree South was starting to set in, writes The Herald's Lucy Cormack.
Locals said the "catastrophic" effects of the past few days were like nothing they had ever seen.
Large fallen trees blocked major roads that lined blackened forests carpeted with ash.
Road signs towards Old Bar and Wallabi Point that once directed traffic had melted in the blaze, their letters merging into grey blobs.
Midcoast Council Mayor David West said his own 400-acre property was set to lose all its pasture and the bushland surrounds, but said he was one of the lucky ones.
"On Sunday morning I spoke to six people from the Bobin area, who had lost three homes between them. One woman said they had only just built their home and all they are left with is a septic tank and a concrete slab," he said.
The list of schools closed on Monday has been updated.
The following Independent schools will be closed:
The following TAFE Campuses will be closed:
NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean said the preliminary advice from the Australian Energy Market Operator was that the state will have adequate power supplies on Tuesday.
Part of the interconnector between NSW and Queensland was damaged during the current fires, cutting capacity from 1100MW on that line to 200MW.
AEMO, though, has advised NSW that there is 1700MW of spare capacity at this stage, Mr Kean told The Herald.
AEMO, which oversees the main grid serving eastern Australia, has modelled Tuesday's supplies both with and without the Queensland-NSW Interconnector in service, in case fires push back into the power link.
Ben Shepherd, a senior Rural Fire Service spokesman said: "The advice for people near on Sydney's more forested areas - such as Hornsby, the Blue Mountains, parts of Sutherland Shire and even Lane Cove - is to stay out of the bush"
"It's going to be hot, windy and awful, and we don't want you to go into bushfire-prone land at that moment."
He said fire crews had had little respite since the weekend: "The fires went gangbusters for a day but it didn't mean the fires stopped."
All it meant was fire-danger ratings had dropped back to “very high" fire danger, he said.
The NSW Transport Management Centre is advising motorists to delay all "non-essential travel in bushfire-affected areas" as a number of roads are still closed.
The latest advice was issued at 7pm.
The Pacific Highway is now closed between Purfleet and Kew.
The highway had been closed between Nabiac and Middle Brother.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area as all southbound vehicles are being turned around at Kew. Those travelling south can also consider stopping at Port Macquarie or another town.