Victoria weather: Latest forecast, temperatures and warnings

VICTORIANS sweltered through the state’s hottest day in two years on Saturday as temperatures soared into the 40s before a cool change brought much-needed relief. LATEST FORECAST

Aneeka Simonis, David Hurley, Christine McGinn and Peta Fuller

3 min read

January 7, 2018 - 10:12AM

VIC News

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VICTORIANS sweltered through the state’s hottest day in two years on Saturday as temperatures soared into the 40s.

FIREYS BRING CARRUM DOWNS BUSHFIRE UNDER CONTROL

STRETCH OF HUME FREEWAY MELTS AS WEATHER HEATS UP

Airconditioners struggled, thousands flocked to beaches, and shops were flooded with punters buying ice-creams and cold drinks.

And more than 2300 homes in Caroline Springs in Melbourne’s west were left to swelter after a power failure.

Ouyen, 45.2 degrees, Mildura, 45, Walpeup, 44.7, and Longerenong 44, were the hottest places in the state.

Relief came to Melbourne at 5.50pm, with temperatures dropping 10 degrees in three minutes from 41.4 to 28.8 degrees.

The drop was most dramatic at Avalon airport, which plunged from 43 degrees at 5.21pm to 28 degrees just eight minutes later. That was accompanied by winds up to 81kmh as the change burst through.

St Kilda beach was one of the most popular places in town, while Phillip Island was awash with revellers soaking up the sun, with many hitting the beach at Cowes.

Frankston Pier was flooded with people watching the annual Greek Orthodox Blessing of the Waters.

Frankie Ferraro, 16, of Lysterfield, retrieved the wooden cross after it was thrown from the pier by Bishop Iakovos.

The Murray River at Echuca was also popular with swimmers as country Victorians also tried to beat the heat. But while people at the beach and in the water kept cool, those in other parts of Melbourne were struggling without airconditioning because of blackouts.

Taylors Hill, Ravenhall, Burnside and Truganina were also affected by power faults, with about 850 homes disconnected at 2pm while 450 homes in Warrandyte, North Warrandyte and Kangaroo Ground also lost power soon after 1pm.

More than 100 homes in Beaconsfield and a further 125 in Mt Evelyn were also hit by power failures.

Fish and chip shops were being overrun last night, as tired tourists tucked into some seaside dining.

Kim Shaya, manager of Seaford Fish & Chip Shop, said she was busy with hungry customers.

LATEST WEATHER OBSERVATIONS 8.30PM:

Melbourne (Olympic Park): 24.9C

Avalon: 22.8C

Laverton: 22.5C

Essendon: 24.7C

Moorabbin: 27.3C

Mildura: 39.4C

Hopetoun: 35.5C

The heat spiked at 42C in the city between 4pm and 5pm. Source: Weatherzone

“The tourists are still white, all still white. They’re all good. I haven’t seen anyone badly sunburnt,” she said.

“I have enough aircon to keep the staff cool.”

In St Kilda, Ballie Ricketts of Mammy’s Boy Chip Shop, was sweltering. “We’ve had the aircon on all day, but it’s not working too well,” she said.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said: “It is important to acknowledge the forecast issued by the Bureau (of Meteorology) has been achieved.

“Along with that it has been dry and the winds have been consistently strong since midmorning.

“(Tomorrow) we will see a cooler day, however along the Murray River and northeastern part of the state the temperatures will still be in the high 30s and a couple of places will reach 40.”

Mr Lapsley praised Victorians for heeding warnings about the heat.

“The Victorian community has listened to the warnings,” he said.

On the beaches, Life Saving Victoria (LSV) reported 64 rescues.

Swimmers rushed from the water at Fairhaven on the Surf Coast after a reported shark sighting about 11am. The warning was later removed after no shark was detected.

But Greg Scott, lifesaving operations manager at LSV, said he was frustrated that some beachgoers were putting themselves in danger.

“There have also been a number of incidents related to pier-jumping and, frustratingly, we’ve also seen a number of jetskis being driven in a reckless manner — with speeds up to 100kmh, they’re extremely dangerous in the wrong hands,” Mr Scott said.

Swimmers removed from water at Fairhaven beach over unconfirmed shark sighting. @LifeSavingVic says warning no longer in place https://t.co/7MibtMwsvr
â€” Aneeka Simonis (@AneekaSimonis) January 6, 2018