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January 22, 2026 — 5:51pm
Severe heat is forecast to settle over Victoria in the coming week with temperatures in Melbourne and inland parts of the state expected to soar above 40 degrees.
This Saturday and the following Tuesday are shaping as the hottest days as authorities prepare for extreme fire danger conditions. However, the Country Fire Authority has so far stopped short of issuing a catastrophic fire rating for the coming heatwave.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Kevin Parkin said the severe heat could bring near record temperatures to some locations.
“Currently, a dome of heat is expected to sit over Victoria not just this weekend, but persist well into next week,” Parkin said.
He said the Bureau of Meteorology would probably issue a heatwave warning on Friday for the weekend.
The bureau is expecting extreme fire danger in Victoria’s south-west and the Wimmera and possibly in central parts of the state too. The temperature is forecast to hit 40 degrees on Saturday in Melbourne.
On Saturday night, a south-westerly change is forecast to begin moving across the state and bring cooler conditions, although Sunday may remain warm.
However, the scorching conditions are set to return on Tuesday. Parkin said some areas might record their highest-ever temperatures. He said the temperature in Ouyen, near Mildura, could hit 48 degrees on Tuesday, while outer suburbs of Melbourne could hit 44 degrees.
“It’s an extended period of heat affecting Victoria, with a couple of changes between now and Tuesday,” Parkin said. “And unfortunately, I can’t bring any good news with regard to rainfall.”
Authorities are monitoring several fires across the state, including a fire at Mallacoota in East Gippsland. On Thursday afternoon, the Mallacoota-Lake Barracoota fire was not under control, but it was not threatening communities.
Other fires not yet under control are the Wonnangatta-Dargo fire, which is burning across a large swath of Gippsland, and the Walwa fire, in Victoria’s north-east.
Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said the Longwood fire, which began earlier this month, had been moved to a contained status, while the Ravenswood-Harcourt fire was considered under control.
He said 434 homes had been destroyed by fires so far this summer in addition to 1000 outbuildings damaged or destroyed.
The Longwood fire has been the most damaging and has grown to 144,000 hectares. In total, fires have killed more than 35,000 cattle and sheep.
“The agricultural losses are still continuing to grow,” Wiebusch said.
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said forecast winds were expected to be weaker than those that swept the state earlier this month when a catastrophic rating was issued.
He said total fire bans would be declared throughout the heatwave. But Heffernan said even if there were no fire bans people should still avoid lighting fires where possible.
While there is no riverine flooding forecast, Victorian State Emergency Service chief operations officer Alistair Drayton said flash flooding could occur after a hot spell.
The warning comes after campers were stunned by floodwaters that swept cars out to sea at popular camping grounds on the Great Ocean Road earlier this month.
“It’s the localised flooding that we really can’t pick at any one particular point in time,” Drayton said.
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