THE COUNTRY Fire Authority will remain on high alert even though the latest three-month forecast from the Bureau of Metrology suggests the cool change is here to stay.While this summer produced the hottest Melbourne night in a century, according to the bureau there is a 65 per cent chance Melbourne and Adelaide will have colder-than-average weather from February to April. CFA Region 15 operations manager Bernie Fradd said yesterday no one can afford to be complacent and fire services and communities need to continue to be prepared."CFA works closely with the BOM and other emergency services to utilise the most up-to-date weather information available," Mr Fradd said. "Last week, Victorians experienced the most difficult conditions so far this bushfire season, with Code Red and extreme conditions across the state. "Emergency services are preparing for extreme conditions in the Mallee and Wimmera districts today with further extreme conditions also forecast for the North-East district on Friday, ahead of a cool change over the weekend," he said. BOM climate meteorologist Dr Harvey Stern said the colder temperatures predicted won't exclude the odd day in the 30Cs or even above 40C. "With these cooler temperatures you won't get heatwaves that last for days. It will be a bit like the last two weeks," Dr Stern said.Below average temperatures won't necessarily lessen the chance of bushfires either."Fire danger depends on individual days and we could still get an extraordinary day in the season. It is not possible to exclude a catastrophic day just because temperatures are milder," he said.Former president of the Friends of the Botanical Gardens Raoul Dixon believes the forecast is very good news for the gardens."Cooler conditions takes the pressure off the garden staff a little as it will reduce water stress and plant damage making it easier to maintain the diversity of the gardens," Mr Dixon said.But not everybody is pleased with the forecast cooler days.Eureka Pool manager Peter McKenzie said his business has already suffered due to the fluctuations in the temperatures. "You need a few days in a row of above 30C to get people thinking about swimming again."This will be a below average season if this cooler weather continues," Mr McKenzie said.