Victorians are being urged not to be complacent, with authorities declaring a total fire ban as temperatures and high winds are forecast across large parts of the state.
Melbourne is forecast to reach 37C on Saturday while northern regions could exceed 40C.
Wind gusts of up to 45km/h are also forecast.
The Country Fire Authority declared Saturday a total fire ban day for the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central and Central regions.
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said residents in those areas should have a fire survival plan ready to go in case the worst happened.
“Tomorrow is not the day to be complacent,” he told reporters on Friday.
“Fires will occur and if they do occur, they will move incredibly fast and you will be required to take action.”
Total fire bans require no fires to be lit or remain lit for the duration of the ban, including campfires and for those who have permits for fuel reduction.
People with fuel-reduction permits must postpone any burns until after the ban is lifted.
Residents in built up areas close to the city need to be cautious, Mr Heffernan said.
“In the last couple of weeks, we have seen an increase in grass fires occurring in the outer metropolitan ring of Melbourne,” he said.
Firefighters’ plea: Help us help you
“It’s important that if a fire should start in those areas, rather than get in the car and drive away to safety, we are asking residents to simply walk two streets back.
“It will keep the roads free and allow emergency services to get onto the scene in order to suppress that fire.”
Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan urged people to be mindful of their outdoor activities and to limit travel if possible.
“Even though we’re not in summer, it’s one of those really difficult days that you get from time to time over the summer period where it’s hot, its windy, its uncomfortable,” she told reporters in Bendigo.
“Following the rain events of last year, there is a lot of grass, a lot of fuel around as it’s dried out over the summer period.”
A cool change is expected to move through the state on Saturday evening, with temperatures dropping by up to 15 degrees.
“That won’t reach the northern and eastern parts of the state until Sunday so expect another hot start to the day up there,” Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Keris Arndt told reporters on Friday.
“But there is relief when that cool change comes through.”
The bureau this week declared an end to the cooler, wetter La Nina weather pattern and issued a watch for El Nino, which is associated with drier conditions in Australia and an increased fire risk.
Meanwhile, an out-of-control grass fire north of Goulburn has prompted warnings for any nearby residents still in the area to seek shelter.
Fire crews and a large air tanker are battling the blaze that reached emergency level on Thursday afternoon.
The fire is threatening properties 35km north east of Crookwell as it heads in an easterly direction towards Jerrong Road, having burnt more than 250 hectares.
“If you are in the area of Curraweela between Taralga Road and Jerrong Road, including Old Station Creek Road, it is now too late to leave,” the NSW Rural Fire Service said.
NSW residents and firefighters are bracing for more unseasonably hot conditions as summer’s hangover continues in parts of the state.
La Nina’s legacy
Temperatures are expected to reach the high 30s in some regions on Thursday and Friday, with inland areas tipped to get into the mid 40s, sparking widespread fire warnings.
Firefighters managed to control a major blaze at Alpha Rd in the Central Tablelands that burnt more than 18,000 hectares. They warn the hotter-than-averages temperatures could lead to more flare-ups.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued extreme fire warnings for the Southern and Central Ranges, with much of the rest of the state considered a high fire risk.
“This is fairly transient weather at this time of the year,” BOM senior meteorologist Olenka Duma said.
“We start to see cold fronts making their way further northwards in the autumn.
“With those cold fronts we often see warmer temperatures, which are still occurring in northern and central parts of Australia, dragged across NSW.”
Temperatures in Sydney are expected to exceed 35C on Thursday, before cooling slightly with maximums of 30C and 31C over the next three days.
The BOM on Tuesday placed a watch warning on its El Nino outlook, meaning there is a 50 per cent chance the weather driver could hit Australia this year, bringing hotter and drier conditions.
Wetter conditions from three consecutive La Ninas have contributed to more grass growth and vegetation, potential fuel for bushfires.
With warmer than average temperatures and drier conditions expected to stretch into winter, the fire risk will linger later than usual.
Total fire bans are in place for the Central and Southern Ranges, Southern Slopes and Lower Central West Plains.
