UPDATE Wednesday 7.15am: Bendigo looks set to experience its hottest April day in more than a quarter of a century on Wednesday, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a top of 35 degrees.
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Elsewhere, Echuca expects to reach 37 degrees, Redesdale and Maryborough 33, Castlemaine 32, and Kyneton 30.
The Northern Country and North Central forecast districts have a fire danger rating of very high, while the rating in the Central district is high.
A total fire ban is in place across the Mallee and Wimmera districts, where there is a severe fire danger rating.
UPDATE Tuesday 2.10pm: Summer’s heat will linger a little longer, with Bendigo forecast to reach 34 degrees on Wednesday – which, if it eventuates, will be the city’s hottest April day in at least 26 years.
BOM senior forecaster Tom Delamotte said a band of high pressure to the south had led to heat building up in the interior of Australia, which recent northerly winds had swept down into Victoria.
No one weather event was the result of climate change, Mr Delamotte said, but the frequency of such events as the current streak of hot weather was on the rise.
He said Echuca, for example, had seen days above 30 degrees become more frequent, particularly over the past 20 to 30 years.
Before this week, there has never been more than two consecutive April days above 35 degrees anywhere in Victoria.
But Mr Delamotte said parts in the northwest of the state were likely to see four days in a row top that mark.
For those who look forward to cooler weather, however, there is no need to despair.
A return to more autumnal conditions is forecast for the weekend, with an expected change on Saturday to bring showers and cool air that will push temperatures back around 20 degrees.
Mr Delamotte said falls of 2 to 8 millimetres could be expected in parts of central Victoria.
He said the climate outlook for the next couple of months also indicated a return to more normal weather.
It had been a dry three months, he said, but the usual autumn rain breaks looked set to arrive towards the end of the month.
Rainfall across much of central Victoria was below average in the three months to the end of March.
Bendigo saw just 8 millimetres last month, with the long-term average for March 22 millimetres.
And in February, only 6.2 millimetres was recorded, compared to the typical rainfall of 22.2 millimetres.
Tuesday 7.50am: Bendigo could experience its hottest April day in at least 26 years on Wednesday, with a maximum temperature of 34 degrees forecast.
Data from the Bureau of Meteorology shows the last time Bendigo came close to such a warm maximum in April was in both 2005 and 2004, when the hottest daytime temperatures for the month were 33.7 degrees.
Last year, the warmest day in April saw the mercury rise to 27.6 degrees.
If the city does hit 34 degrees, it will put the maximum temperature for the day almost 13 degrees higher than the long-term average for the month.
Other parts of the region will also be unseasonably warm, but as yet, the forecasts do not suggest record-breaking temperatures.
Echuca is expected to reach a top of 36 degrees on Wednesday, Redesdale 29, Maryborough 32, Castlemaine 31, and Kyneton 29.
It will also be warm on Tuesday, with tops of 30 degrees forecast for Bendigo and Maryborough, 33 degrees for Echuca, 29 for Redesdale, 28 for Castlemaine, and 27 for Kyneton.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
