Key points
- Melbourne is facing its hottest day since 2021, with the weather bureau predicting a top of 38 degrees on Friday.
- Thursday is tipped to be an oppressive night with the temperature forecast to remain above 20 degrees.
- A cool change is expected to arrive on Friday evening, bringing with it a chance of thunderstorms.
Melburnians are bracing for the city’s hottest day since 2021, with the weather bureau predicting a top of 38 degrees ahead of a cool change early on Friday.
If the mercury does reach the forecast maximum, it would make it Melbourne’s hottest day since January 25, 2021, when the mercury tapped 39.2 degrees.
The bureau warned it would be “an oppressive night” on Thursday, with the temperature tipped to remain above 20 degrees across much of the state overnight.
A reprieve from the heat is expected early Friday evening and the temperature is expected to drop by about 15 degrees by 8pm. There is a slight change of showers and thunderstorms, the bureau said.
Other parts of the state will endure scorchers on Friday, with Mildura and Swan Hill expected to hit a maximum of 42 degrees – the hottest forecast maximums statewide.
A total fire ban has been issued by the Country Fire Authority for the central and north central districts, which include Melbourne and Geelong, due to the high wind gusts expected ahead of the cool change.
“Hot, dry and windy conditions will lead to elevated fire dangers ahead of a cool and gusty southwesterly change moving through central parts in the late afternoon/early evening,” the authority said.
The state has endured hot days and nights since Wednesday, reaching maximums between the mid to high 30s, and overnight minimum temperatures sitting between the high teens and low 20s.
While there will be an earlier reprieve from the heat for Melburnians, with Saturday expected to reach a maximum of 23 degrees, northern parts of the state won’t feel the change until Saturday.
“It’ll still be hot in the far north and north-east on Saturday. We’re getting up to 35 degrees for places like Albury and Wangaratta,” weather forecaster Christie Johnson said.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe heatwave warning in East Gippsland on Tuesday, which was later cancelled.
“A low-intensity heatwave is an event that we see quite often during summer, but it’s a situation where it can be dangerous for elderly or vulnerable people if proper precautions aren’t taken,” weather forecaster Christie Johnson said.
Sydney is predicted to reach 32 degrees on Saturday which, if reached, would mark the city’s hottest day in 426 days.
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