According to Weatherzone, Ballarat's temperature has ticked over to 41 degrees, the first time that mark has ever been reached in this city in December.

The previous record was 40.6 degrees set on December 31, 2005.

So far however, the city and the surrounding countryside has remained relatively incident free as predicted high winds have failed to materialise.

The most concerning blaze so far recorded happened at Meredith when a shed burned to the ground.

While it has been windy, right now, gusts are only to 39km/h.

Temperatures are expected to continue to rise until at least 6pm, with the cool change having only now just hitting Adelaide.

EARLIER: BALLARAT is on track for an all time record December day with the mercury tipping past 40 degrees at 3pm.

Should Ballarat reach its expected maximum of 41 degrees this afternoon, it will break at 14 year record, set back on New Year's Eve, 2005 when we rocketed to 40.6 degrees.

It was a relatively benign start to the day with the temperature dropping to below 13 degrees overnight.

At 6am, we were on just 13.9 degrees, but it has quickly warmed up. By 8am, we'd almost doubled that temperature hitting 26.2 degrees and by 11am we'd hit 34.1.

Concerning is the winds that are starting to pick up.

Just after 11.30am, Ballarat Airport recorded a gust of 59km/h but winds have generally been between 40-50km/h. AT 1pm, the wind gust reached 56km/h.

The heat comes as the state government joined forces Victoria's paramedics warning the community of the danger of heat, and particularly on people being left in cars.

When the mercury tipped 39 on Wednesday, Ambulance Victoria responded to eight reports of children locked in cars across the state, 62 patients treated for heat conditions and a further 28 for heat exposure.

Since November 1, 485 people have been assessed for various heat related conditions.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said extreme heat kills more Victorians than any other natural disaster.

Those at the highest risk of heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke are people over 65, anyone with a pre-existing medical condition, pregnant women, those breastfeeding, and children aged up to five.

Tips to survive the heat:

Have you signed up to The Courier's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.