Out of control bushfires threatened towns in Victoria on Sunday as the worst heatwave since 2009 began sweeping through the state, while residents of Western Australia prepared to face Tropical Cyclone Luana as the extreme weather system moved inland.
“This is a very serious set of weather conditions,” said Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch on Sunday.
“We haven’t seen heatwave conditions like this in Victoria for almost 20 years. It was 2009, ahead of the [Black Saturday] bushfires where we saw those prevailing conditions.”
Sign up: AU Breaking News email
Emergency warnings urged residents of the small Victorian town of Gellibrand to take shelter on Sunday morning as an out of control bushfire bore down.
The fire in the Otways region began on 10 January but had been under control until Saturday, when many parts of the state saw temperatures above 40C at the beginning of a multi-day heatwave.
Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer, Chris Hardman, said the combination of wind and extreme heat saw the Otways fire jump containment lines at Carlisle River on Saturday.
While temperatures were cooler south of the ranges in Victoria on Sunday, a total fire ban was in place for much of the state as it still remained very hot in the north, with extreme fire danger conditions prevailing, including strengthening westerly winds.
“Tuesday in particular is the next big day of concern with regards to fire weather conditions,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Diana Eadie said. “We’re also forecasting potentially record-breaking temperatures, particularly in western parts of the state.”
Some areas in the north and west of the state were expecting seven consecutive days over 40C. Mildura had a forecast top of 44C on Sunday, with the next six days forecast over 40C, peaking at 48C on Tuesday and 46C on Friday.
Hopetoun and Walpeup were forecast to reach 48C on Tuesday, Hamilton was expecting 46C, and Horsham 47C. Melbourne was forecast to reach 43C on Tuesday.
Six fires were burning in the state with four still out of control on Sunday.
An air quality warning was issued for Geelong, Melbourne and surrounding areas on Sunday as smoke from the Carlisle River fire moved east and blanketed the cities. Smoke was expected to move north and likely to encroach on the regional city of Ballarat later on Sunday.
In the north-east of the state, a fire near Walwa that had been out of control for more than two weeks continued to threaten areas east of Albury and was expected to worsen over the coming days, with an extreme heatwave forecast for the region.
The fire started in the Mt Lawson state park on 5 January before spreading through to the Wabba wilderness park. Residents of the Nariel Valley, including McNamara Crossing, Staceys Bridge and surrounds, were issued with a Leave Now warning at 9.25am on Sunday as the fire approached.
Hardman said the Walwa fire was likely to move further to the south, out of the Hume region and into Gippsland.
There was also a “significant fire” burning in the Alpine national park.
Ambulance Victoria’s Dale Armstrong warned about the dangers of hot cars and extreme heat on human health, saying authorities responded to an “extraordinary” 11 cases of children in hot cars on Saturday. “Hot cars can kill,” Armstrong said. “The temperature inside a car can double and become deadly within minutes.”
South Australia was also in the midst of a severe heatwave, along with much of the rest of south-east Australia, with temperatures peaking at almost 48C in Port Augusta and Tarcool on Saturday. Conditions were milder on Sunday but expected to peak again on Monday, with Adelaide forecast to hit 45C.
Sydney was forecast to hit 34C on Sunday, but temperatures were expected to stay in the high 20s for the coming days. In NSW, the heat was expected to spike on Sunday and again midweek, with the Riverina, central west and north likely to bear the brunt.
Hobart was looking at a much milder 20C on Sunday, and Perth was expected to reach 26C. Brisbane was looking at 35C on Sunday and 37C on Monday, with possible storms. Darwin could expect 32C on Sunday and the usual wet-season storms, with that pattern continuing into the coming week.
Hotter than average days and nights were expected to continue until April for much of the country, according to the latest long-range forecast.
