Victorians have been urged to “take action now” as a three-day heatwave begins to bake the state amid dangerous fire conditions.
Victorians are set to swelter as a three-day heatwave sends temperatures climbing into the high 30s in part of the state, heightening the risk of bushfires.
Victoria’s south-west stretching into the Wimmera, along with parts of Melbourne, could feel the highest temperatures, bureau senior meteorologist Helen Reid said.The heat would be well above average along the coast, with Warrnambool forecast to hit 31 degrees on Friday. In north-east Victoria, Wangaratta and Albury-Wodonga are expected to record maximum temperatures of 36 degrees on Saturday.
“So for the fire conditions, it will mean that available fuels — particularly grassfire fuels — will be what we call ‘preheated’, and will remain available to fire over the next couple of days.“I do anticipate that fires will start as a result of that; however, as long as the winds don’t mix down and increase, firefighters should be able to get on top of fires relatively quickly.”
Firefighters hoped for storms and rain over the next couple of days but those may not eventuate, Heffernan said.“In which case, the next three days of weather will rapidly bring us ever closer to the peak fire conditions as we lead into summer,” he said.
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