Melbourne is sweltering through a boiling summer's day - and the worst is yet to come, with a cool change days away.
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A top of 36 has been forecast for Melbourne on Monday, followed by a top of 37 on Tuesday.
Luckily, Monday night is forecast to be a cool one with south-west winds expected in the late afternoon .
At 1.30 the CBD's weather station was recording a high of 32 degrees as the temperature continues to climb. About the same time Avalon, in Melbourne's south west, was showing a temperature of 37.1 degrees.
The temperature is expected to climb to a top of 36 at 5pm, before falling quickly. By 11pm the temperature should have dropped to about 22 degrees.
Hot northerly winds are expected on both Monday and Tuesday, before a cool change brings temperatures back to a top of 29 on Wednesday.
Much of the state is expected to swelter, with Colac and Ballarat both set to reach 35, Stawell 37 and Horsham 38.
It will be the hottest day in Melbourne since January 13, when the mercury hit 42.2 degrees.
Chris Godfred, senior forecaster at the Bureau of Metrology, said spikes of extreme heat were common at this time of the year, especially hot northerly winds.
A severe fire danger has been forecast for the South West district, which includes the Great Otways and Wye River, which still faces risk from the ongoing bushfire that destroyed more than 100 houses on Christmas Day.
Mr Godfred said firefighters will have to work with hot north-west winds, although the temperatures along the Ocean Road are forecast between 26 and 33 degrees.
The CFA have issued advice for residents in several towns where bushfires are currently being fought. The Wye River bushfire is still not yet under control.
Victorians wishing to cool off will find their options limited, after the EPA issued health warnings for six Port Phillip Bay catchments.
- - Pioneer Park in Greensborough (burst water main
- - Grace Burn Creek in Healesville (sewage spill)
- - Werribee River, downstream of the Maltby Bypass, Werribee South (blue-green algal bloom)
- - Tanti Creek near St Mitchell Circuit, Mornington (Brown sludge from a stormwater drain)
- - Merlynston Creek and the Jack Roper Reserve in Broadmeadows (potential run off from fire in a tyre recycling yard)
All have been declared off-limits until further notice.
