Meteorologist Ben McBurney said temperatures would be hotter in places north and west of the city.

“The forecast is 38 degrees, but we could see temperatures get higher than that,” Mr McBurney said. 

“We’ve been seeing the same trends for most of this month (in Ballarat), with high air masses responsible for the hot weather.” 

Mr McBurney said heat from central Australia had been building and being pushed south into Victoria by strong troughs.

“We will see this happen again next week on Wednesday and Thursday,” Mr McBurney said. 

The cool change is expected to arrive in Ballarat tomorrow  after a warm night.

“Once the change comes through, we will see a drop in temperature,” Mr McBurney said. 

“Overnight, we will have 24 degrees, before a top of 31 degrees on Sunday.” 

Next week, the hot weather is expected to continue in Ballarat, with a top of 26 degrees forecast for Monday, 33 degrees forecast for Tuesday and 36 degrees on Wednesday. 

“A cool change is forecast to come through on Friday and Saturday next week, but that’s still a long way away,” Mr McBurney said. 

“It’s very hard to say at this stage, but a cool change on Friday is the best bet.”