Victoria’s Hume Highway was closed on Thursday and regional trains were cancelled as firefighters from at least two states fought bushfires in the worst heatwave to descend on Australia since 2019-20.
As Melbourne prepared for a forecast of 41C day on Friday, the acting premier, Ben Carroll, described Victoria as “one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world”.
“There is also the real risk of heat-related illness throughout the state tomorrow.”
The state health department urged Victorians “to be prepared – stay hydrated, stay indoors as much as possible and make sure you check in on loved ones”.
Firefighters were preparing for catastrophic conditions across multiple districts in Victoria on Friday, and extreme fire danger ratings for much of South Australia and the NSW Riverina.
Fires were already burning in several states, with residents affected by bushfires at Longwood and Walwa in Victoria warned to “leave immediately”.
Sarah Scully, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said severe to extreme heatwave warnings remained in place on Thursday for every state and territory except Queensland.
Some of the highest temperatures recorded by Thursday afternoon across Australia included 48.2C at Wudinna airport on SA’s Eyre Peninsula, 45.9C at Walpeup in Victoria, 45.6C at Paraburdoo, WA, and 45.9C at Hay in NSW.
Adelaide residents woke up to 31C on Thursday morning with temperatures hitting 43C in the afternoon, after the city reached a scorching 43C on Wednesday, according to the BoM.
“The heat is intensifying right across southern Australia,” Scully said.
Extreme temperatures were expected for Canberra and New South Wales from Friday.
On Thursday, central Sydney hit 33.2C, but temperatures rose as high as 42.2C at Badgerys Creek in the west of the city. Canberra reached 39C and central Melbourne 30.9C.
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Friday was set to be “the most dangerous day with regards to fires”, Scully said, due to hot, dry and windy conditions, including damaging winds with gusts up to 90km/h. The Country Fire Authority’s Jason Heffernan said they were bracing for “a very, very dire bushfire day”.
The last time the state experienced similar catastrophic ratings across multiple districts was on 21 November 2019, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch said.
“We know the devastating impacts we saw in the east of our state during those 2019-20 fires.
“Catastrophic fire danger ratings mean that it will be unpredictable, uncontrollable, and fast-moving fires that we will see tomorrow,” he said.
Paramedics in Victoria will be deployed away from high-risk bushfires areas from Friday.
Ambulance Victoria says it has declared a red escalation - the highest level of response - from 7am on Friday. It means crews are only deployed into high-risk areas for serious or life threatening illnesses and when a risk assessment has been done.
On Friday, a total fire ban will be in place across the entire state of Victoria, most of South Australia and four NSW districts (eastern and southern Riverina, Monaro Alpine and Southern Slopes). The Tasmania Fire Service declared a total fire ban for the state’s south and the Furneaux Islands from Saturday.
The Hume Freeway was closed in both directions on Thursday between Seymour and Violet Town, a stretch of about 74km.
Regional V/line train and bus services will be cancelled in fire districts facing catastrophic danger on Friday. Freight services through those areas will also be suspended.
Public lands and parks across the state were closed.
The potential for thunderstorms and dry lightning across much of Victoria and southern NSW was adding to concerns. Storms could bring large hail to the north-eastern ranges of Victoria, Scully said.
In South Australia, the State Emergency Service said it had attended more than 100 incidents of trees dropping limbs, or whole trees falling, due to the heat.
The heat has taken a toll on native wildlife, with Bat Rescue SA reporting hundreds of flying fox pups deaths.
The wildlife rescue organisation Wires said extreme heat and dehydration could be fatal for many species. The public could assist by leaving out shallow bowls of fresh water in their gardens or balconies, in a shady spot.
Motorists were advised to be extra vigilant, especially at dusk and dawn, when nocturnal animals may be crossing roads and highways seeking water sources.
On Wednesday, many places across Victoria recorded their hottest day since 2020, including Melbourne where temperatures climbed to 40.9C. Avalon airport, near Geelong, hit 43.6C, also its hottest day in six years.
Walpeup in Victoria’s Mallee region hit 45C, with Mildura, Hopetoun and Warracknabeal not far behind at 44C.
Some coastal towns in Western Australia nudged towards 50C, Scully said, with 49C recorded in Onslow on the Pilbara coast.
In Adelaide, suburbs north of the city reached the mid-40s, including Edinburgh at 44.6C. Temperatures were as high as 46C at Ceduna, Port Augusta, Wudinna and Tarcoola.
In NSW, the Riverina town of Hay was one of the hottest places at 45C. Some suburbs in Sydney’s south-west reached into the high 30s.
It was hotter than normal in Tasmania, particularly in the north and east, reaching 33.9C at Ouse, about an hour’s drive north-west of Hobart, and in St Helens on the north-east coast.
Capital city forecast for Friday:
Melbourne: windy, possible late storm, maximum 41C.
Canberra: sunny, maximum 39C.
Adelaide: mostly sunny, maximum 35C.
Sydney: sunny, maximum 33C.
Darwin: showers, storm, maximum 33C.
Perth: partly cloudy, maximum 29C.
Brisbane: possible shower, maximum 29C.
Hobart: shower or two, maximum 24C.
Australia experienced its fourth-warmest year on record in 2025, with average temperatures up 1.23C nationally, according to BoM.
The climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves and bushfires.
Dr Andrew King, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne said: “Our emissions are causing worsening heatwaves and fire weather in particular. The longer we delay real action to greatly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we can expect even more intense heatwaves and fire weather for years to come.”
