Victoria heatwave LIVE: State swelters through record-breaking heatwave as Otways fire grows

Across the state, here’s how Victorians coped in the heatwave yesterday.

In Melbourne, the heatwave warning has been reduced for today, but smoke is covering the city. The weather bureau has predicted a high of 24 degrees.

Elsewhere, the heatwave continues, with places like Ouyen forecast to reach 41 degrees.

In the tiny Mallee town of Walpeup, barely a soul was stirring in the late afternoon on Tuesday, and why would they?

The outdoors was no place to be as this town broke Victoria’s maximum temperature record, reaching 48.9 degrees about 3.30 on Tuesday afternoon. It wasn’t just the hottest place in Victoria; it was the hottest place on planet Earth – though an hour earlier, the small South Australian town of Renmark had that dubious honour as it sweltered through 49.6-degree heat.

The previous Victorian record of 48.8 was set in Hopetoun in 2009.

Any more than a few minutes in the sun on Tuesday was downright dangerous. Having spent the day in the Walpeup and Ouyen region and spoken to its residents myself, I did not fancy being outside much either. In Ouyen, which is significantly more populated, it was just about as hot.

Ouyen had already experienced several days hotter than 40 degrees, and the searing temperatures could continue until the weekend.

By early afternoon on Tuesday, the temperature had passed 47 degrees. I stepped outside in Ouyen, which felt like being submerged in a hot bath.

In the shade it was almost manageable. But in the sun it was a skin-prickling heat. Within minutes my mouth was drying out and my head was stinging in the sun.

Read the full story here.

Victoria’s all-time hottest temperature was recorded in the Mallee towns of Walpeup and Hopetoun on Tuesday, which hit 48.9 degrees on a day of scorching highs in many areas of the state.

Health authorities are warning the most dangerous impacts of Victoria’s heatwave may be still to come, with the cumulative impact of consecutive prolonged temperatures building through another four days with forecasts of 40 degrees or more in parts of the state.

The tiny town of Walpeup, about 30km west of Ouyen, broken the all-time temperature recorded for Victoria at 3.36pm when the mercury hit 48.9 degrees. Thirty-four minutes later Hopetoun airport, which is about 90km south of Walpeup, matched the 48.9 degree record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) observations.

Read the full story here.

Here are the latest alerts in effect as of 5.45am AEDT – but if you’re in an area under threat from fire, it’s important you also monitor the Vic Emergency website.

Otways fire

Take Shelter Now: Gellibrand, Barongarook, Barongarook West, Kawarren, Carlisle River, Gerangamete.

You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave.

Evacuate Immediately: Barwon Downs, Benwerrin, Coram, Murroon, Tulloh, Yeodene, and Pennyroyal, Beech Forest, Chapple Vale, Charleys Creek, Crowes, Dinmont, Ferguson, Graham Junction, Kincaid, Lavers Hill, Mount Sabine, Pile Siding, Stalker, Tanybryn, Weeaproinah, Wimba, Wyelangta.

The message is to leave now. If you choose to stay, emergency services may not be able to help you.

Monitor Conditions As They Are Changing: Carlisle Road and Irrewillipe, Irrewillipe East, Tomahawk Creek, communities around the perimeter of the Carlisle River and Kennedys Creek fire.

The situation can change at any time. You must monitor conditions and be ready to act.
Bushfire danger is expected to increase on today. Community members are encouraged to prepare their bushfire survival plan now and, if staying, ensure their property is ready.

Welcome to our live coverage of Victoria’s latest heatwave and bushfire crisis.

I’m Isabel McMillan, and I’ll be keeping you across the latest updates as the state swelters through forecast record-breaking temperatures, and firefighters continue battling blazes across the state.

An erratic and extreme bushfire burning out of control in the Otway Ranges has claimed at least three homes and is threatening many more as it builds force after Tuesday afternoon’s cool change.

Here’s what we know so far:

• There are emergency warnings in place for the Otways fire, which continues burning out of control. Residents in Gellibrand, Barongarook, Barongarook West, Kawarren, Carlisle River, Gerangamete are told it’s too late to leave, and urged to seek shelter.
• The all-time Victorian heat record was broken on Tuesday, with the town of Walpeup hitting 48.9 degrees at 3.36pm.
• In Melbourne, the heatwave warning has been reduced, but smoke is covering the city. The weather bureau has predicted a high of 24 degrees.
• Elsewhere, the heatwave continues, with places like Ouyen forecast to reach 41 degrees.
• A total fire ban has been declared for the Wimmera and the north-east for today, where the regions will continue to be hot, dry and windy, and temperatures are forecast to reach into the mid-40s.
• As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 10,000 hectares have burned in the Otways fire. Since the beginning of the year, nearly half a million hectares have been lost in fires across the state.

Keep following our blog today for the latest updates.