Victoria faces heatwave as some areas may near all‑time temperature records

Victorians have been warned to brace for another heatwave, with temperatures expected to soar towards record levels in parts of the state and authorities on alert in fire-affected areas. The Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist Kevin Parkyn described a “dome of heat” moving east that will bring at least five days above 40C for inland areas of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales from Saturday.

Forecast highs include 42C in Adelaide and 46C at Port Augusta; Melbourne was forecast to reach 40C before dipping to 25C on Sunday and 30C on Monday after a south‑westerly change, then rising to 41C on Tuesday, while Ouyen near Mildura was forecast to hit 48C. Parkyn said “many centres are probably going to approach their all-time maximum records” and warned Tuesday could be “quite a significant day”.

The bureau also said there was no meaningful rain expected for the next fortnight, and extreme fire danger was predicted for the south‑west and the Wimmera on Saturday. There were seven major active fires across Victoria, with blazes at Walwa, the Wonnangatta Complex (Dargo) and Mallacoota not yet under control.

The Longwood fire, although now contained, has destroyed 320 homes and burnt through 144,000 hectares since it started on 9 January.

Key Topics

World, Victoria, Heatwave, Longwood Fire, Wonnangatta Complex, Mildura