“A dome of heat” to loom over Victoria as south west faces another total fire ban

South west Victoria will be under a total fire ban this weekend, with Hamilton tipped to reach 41 degrees and Port Fairy 40 degrees, as emergency response leaders warn of dangerous heat just two weeks after fires and floods tore through the region.

What happened? Leaders of Victoria’s emergency services addressed the public on Thursday afternoon, speaking on the existing bushfires, the floods and the forecasted weather conditions.

Statewide heat: Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Kevin Parkyn told reporters a “dome of heat is expected to sit over Victoria, not just this weekend, but persist well into next week”. 

• Parkyn said the Bureau was likely to issue a heatwave warning on Friday, with conditions escalating from Saturday as “hot, dry, northwesterly winds result in increasing fire danger across the state”.

Increased risk: Severe to extreme fire danger ratings are expected in the south west and Wimmera, with temperatures remaining high even after a south-westerly change arrives on Saturday afternoon. 

• “That’ll gradually creep its way inland reaching Mildura, Ballarat, Melbourne, and the Bass Coast pretty close to midnight,” said Parkyn, warning hot conditions would “persist overnight into Sunday morning” and return on Monday.

Restrictions in West Vic: Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Jason Heffernan confirmed total fire bans would be rolled out across the heatwave event, beginning in the west and south west. 

• “We are well and truly into extreme conditions across multiple days,” said Heffernan.

While winds will not reach the catastrophic levels of early January, Heffernan said fires could still spread rapidly due to “sheer heat and the topography of the landscape”, and urged residents to check the VicEmergency app and discuss their bushfire plans. 

State of disaster: Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch encouraged people to “plan your days around the heat”. He also highlighted continued recovery efforts following the bushfires, saying “the state of disaster remains in place” to limit unnecessary visitation into impacted communities. 

Ninety-eight roads remain closed or restricted statewide.

Cars out of ocean: VICSES Chief Officer Operations Alistair Drayton said cleanup was progressing well in the Wye River and Cumberland River after last Thursday’s flash flooding.

• The Great Ocean Road is now open after helicopters spent Thursday morning extracting 14 cars and one caravan from the beach back at the Cumberland River Caravan Park. 

• Drayton warned travellers to be mindful of camping near stressed trees in fire and heat-affected environments.

Safety still key: Authorities are urging residents and tourists to stay informed via VicEmergency and VicTraffic, monitor Fire Danger Ratings and total fire bans through the CFA, and avoid campfires on both undeclared and declared days to minimise risk.