Friday, 9am:
Trains across the regional rail network are expected to run to extreme heat timetables for the next three days as hot weather returns
Services on the Bendigo, Swan Hill, Echuca, Seymour and Shepparton lines corridors will run to extreme heat timetables today, due to temperatures expected to exceed 36 degrees.
Trains to Swan Hill will
Temporary track speed restrictions will be implemented on these lines between 12pm and 8pm, meaning longer journey times of up to 20 minutes. Some services may also be replaced with coaches.
To provide greater certainty for passengers, V/Line is implementing temporary hot weather timetables this summer on days where the temperature is predicted to exceed 36 degrees.
V/Line trains slow down during extreme heat as a safety precaution. The operator also takes an extra cautious approach with looking after its track and signalling equipment in extreme weather
Extreme heat timetables are also predicted to apply to all regional lines on Monday, except for Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca services which are being replaced with coaches due to planned works.
Further information on Tuesday and Wednesday services will be provided closer to the day.
Friday, 7.50am: It is going to be a hot one today folks, though the weekend is when the heat is predicted to come into full force across much of central Victoria.
Bendigo reached a low of 9.3 degrees at 4.30am. The mercury is expected to rise to 36 degrees later today.
Castlemaine can expect 34 degrees, Maryborough 35 and Echuca 38.
On Saturday, Bendigo can expect 39 degrees and Echuca 42.
Temperatures further south will stay stable, with Castlemaine and Maryborough reaching 35 degrees.
Most areas will expect light north and northeasterly winds to shift to southerly across the region throughout the morning and into the evening.
Temperatures throughout central Victoria will ease off slightly on Sunday, dropping to 37 degrees in Echuca, 33 in Maryborough, 31 in Castlemaine and 33 in Bendigo.
On Monday the mercury is predicted to spike back into the high 30s and low 40s.
Thursday, 11.20am: Inland parts of Victoria will see some of the biggest temperature jumps tomorrow as northwesterly winds blow in ahead of a trough from South Australia.
Warm air sitting over central Australia will be dragged down into Victoria, Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Tom Delamotte said.
The weather will bring temperatures in the high 30s for much of northern Victoria including Bendigo.
The region will likely avoid the severe evening thunderstorms forecast for parts of the northeast of Victoria, Mr Delamotte said.
Saturday will likely be just as hot in much of inland Victoria, with a southerly cool change providing some relief overnight before temperatures rise again on Sunday to the high 30s.
Thursday, 9:17am: Both the BOM and Weatherzone have revised their forecast of 44 degrees for next Tuesday, with a top of 39 degrees now predicted for Bendigo.
The hottest days predicted in the seven-day forecast for Bendigo are 41 degrees on Monday and 40 degrees on Wednesday.
Thursday, 7.20am: V/Line has warned heat restrictions will likely impact the Bendigo line tomorrow as the state braces for another heatwave.
The temperature is set to soar from today’s 29 degrees into the high 30s and remain thee well into next week.
V/Line is recommending people check with station staff, conductors or online for more information.
At this stage heat restrictions will not apply to the Bendigo line on Saturday, when the temperature is expected to reach 35 degrees.
Coaches will replace parts of people’s journeys from Saturday when infrastructure works begin along the Bendigo and Echuca lines, with V/Line asking people allow an extra 45 minutes for their journeys.
The works are expected to continue to 27 January.
Wednesday: Enjoy the slightly cooler temperatures over the next few days – another heatwave is headed our way from the end of the week.
The mercury is predicted to top 44 degrees in Bendigo next Tuesday, with the heat turned on from Friday when the temperature will jump to 37 degrees.
The seven-day forecast from the Bureau of Meterology has temperatures in Bendigo sitting at 39 degrees for the weekend, before a jump to 41 degrees on Monday and then 44C on Tuesday.
Nights are also expected to say warm, ranging between 18 degrees and 23 degrees.
The same pattern is expected across central Victoria, with a predicted tops of 40 degrees in Castlemaine, Kyneton and Maryborough on Tuesday. Echuca will swelter in 44 degrees, Kerang 43 degrees and Cohuna 44 degrees.
Weatherzone meterologist, Ben Domincino, said that a mass of hot air in the far north west of the country would lead to a heatwave by the end of the week in Victoria.
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He said that the extreme temperatures expected in Western Australia would filter down to Victoria to cause one of “those pesky summer heatwaves many dread”.
The Pilbara’s Marble Bar was headed for tops of 48-49 degrees this week and may set a new record above the 49.2 degree benchmarch.
Mr Domincino said with no cold fronts on the horizon the heat should linger well into next week.
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