Key Points
- Temperatures as high as 29C were being reported in parts of Victoria on Tuesday morning.
- Dangerous fire conditions are forecast across Victoria for the rest of the day.
- Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia are also bracing for extreme fire danger.
Hot weather has hit Victoria early in the day as the state experiences its first catastrophic fire conditions since the Black Summer of 2019-20.
Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia are also on alert for extreme fire danger amid heatwave conditions.
In Victoria, 38 schools and 17 early childhood centres have shut as conditions forecast include winds of up to 100km/h, possible dry lightning and thunderstorms.
Hot northerly winds were already moving across the state early on Tuesday, Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan told ABC TV.
He said the mercury hit 29C in Mildura and 27C in Melbourne by 6am, with conditions set to reach low 40s in parts of the northwest.
A catastrophic fire danger rating has been declared for the Wimmera region, with authorities closely watching conditions in Rainbow, Warracknabeal, Minyip, Rupanyup and Murtoa.
"Those communities are of particular concern for firefighters today as conditions will be very, very nasty," Heffernan said.
Extreme fire danger is forecast for the Mallee, a high danger rating for the rest of the state except for East Gippsland and a total fire ban in much of the state.
Heffernan said it would be some of the most dangerous grassfire conditions since the Black Summer of 2019-20.
Black Summer was one of the most intense and catastrophic fire seasons on record in Australia.
Power providers have crews on standby to respond to any outages caused by damage to poles and wires, Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio told reporters.
Tasmanians are also being urged to prepare for an increased fire danger over the coming days.
Tasmania Fire Service deputy chief officer Matt Lowe said current weather conditions combined with a dry landscape meant fires could spread easily and become difficult to control.
"TFS are putting a temporary hold on issuing fire permits in the south and north of the state until 2am Thursday," he said on Monday.
"While we are not declaring a total fire ban, we are asking people to think carefully before lighting campfires and using machinery, and if doing so please be extremely cautious."
South Australians are bracing for a hot and dry Tuesday and extreme fire conditions.
Total fire bans have been declared, with extreme fire danger ratings for mid-north, Riverland and Murraylands.
The South Australian Country Fire Service says "very hazardous" fire weather conditions are predicted.
The Bureau of Meteorology has also issued a heatwave warning for parts of Victoria, with conditions expected to ease with a cooler change from late Tuesday night through early Wednesday morning.
A severe heatwave warning is also in place for parts of Western Australia including Kimberley, Gascoyne, Central West and Great Southern Districts.
