Most NSW bushfires remain at the lowest alert level after rain fell on some fire grounds overnight, while air quality is hazardous in parts of the state.
Early on Saturday morning, 48 fires were still burning in NSW with 20 of those yet to be contained.
One blaze near Jacky Bulbin Flat, Tullymorgan and Mororo in northern NSW has been bumped up to a 'watch and act' alert as fire activity increases.
Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and parts of the mid-north coast and northern NSW received some rain on Friday, with the Rural Fire Service in a tweet saying crews would identify any new fires from thunderstorms.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Abrar Shabren said that while some firegrounds received rain, most didn't.
"(There wasn't) much reprieve or relief in the far north or north east where fires are burning, but certainly in the mid-north coast we did see a good amount of showers," he told AAP on Saturday.
Thick bushfire smoke has blanketed parts of the state in recent days but air quality improved to "fair" in Sydney on Saturday morning.
However, it's still considered hazardous in the North West Slopes and Central Tablelands, and poor in the South West Slopes.
Mr Shabren said more thunderstorms and showers were expected to develop on Saturday.
"Possibly up in the north, around where the fires are we could see some thunderstorms develop today and in the next few days as well, but much of the activity will be today," he said.
Some of those thunderstorms on Saturday could be severe, he said, and there's also a change of storms developing in greater western Sydney and moving towards the coast.
Australian Associated Press
