Melbourne set to reach 45 on Tuesday; Otways parks closed, towns urged to evacuate
Updated ,first published
Northern parts of Victoria are bracing for a week of temperatures above 40 degrees and high bushfire risk conditions, while Melbourne is expected to reach 45 degrees on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in the Otways in the state’s southwest, people who are near an out-of-control bushfire and have not yet left are being asked to do so by sunset.
Police and SES volunteers have started knocking on the doors of more than 1,000 properties near the Carlisle River fire south of Colac but are warning people not to wait for police.
“The message is to get out today,” Bushfire Management Victoria said in its latest update just before noon.
“Prepare to evacuate before sunset today. Emergency services may not be able to assist you if you choose to stay.”
All visitor areas in the Great Otway National Park and state forests are closed until further notice.
There are three relief centers where people can be evacuated; two in Colac and one in the Geelong suburb of Grovedale.
Extreme and severe fire danger ratings were announced for Victoria on Tuesday, along with a total statewide fire ban.
People in Lorne and the River Wye, which were affected by flash flooding two weeks ago, are now being asked to monitor changing fire conditions.
The Otways fire started on January 7 but broke containment lines on Saturday, a day of extreme fire danger in the south-west. Smoke from the fire blanketed Melbourne in the early hours of Sunday.
The latest Otways warning comes as northern Victoria braces for record-breaking temperatures of up to 49 degrees on Tuesday and a week-long heatwave, with the risk of bushfires increasing.
“We are expecting a maximum of 45 degrees for Melbourne tomorrow,” bureau forecaster Simon Timcke said.
“We will see a more moderate southwesterly shift across western regions and central regions in the afternoon, likely not reaching Melbourne until late evening.”
“With this change tomorrow some dust may blow westwards and a wind change may bring some smoke back into the Melbourne area.”
Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said parts of northern Victoria could experience temperatures above 40 degrees for seven consecutive days.
“We haven’t seen heatwave conditions like this in Victoria for almost 20 years,” Wiebusch said, referring to the 2009 pre-Black Saturday and Black Saturday. Melbourne reached 46.4 degrees on 7 February 2009.
Bureau of Meteorology predictions It was stated that the town of Ouyen, in the far northwestern part of the state, will reach 49 degrees on Tuesday, which will be a Victorian record.
“Hopetoun and Walpeup forecast 48 degrees on Tuesday, [so] We could potentially see all-time records for those two locations,” forecaster Diana Eddie said.
He said a major change would likely reach the state’s southwest late Tuesday afternoon, but wouldn’t arrive in Melbourne until around 10pm.
Melbourne is expected to reach a maximum of 30 degrees on Monday and a maximum of 45 degrees on Tuesday.
The city was forecast to have cooler maximum temperatures in the mid-20s on Wednesday and Thursday.
The bureau issued heatwave warnings for much of the state from Sunday through Wednesday. The warning was “extreme” for the state’s north-east and “severe” for northern Victoria.
The bureau said maximum temperatures in the northern half of the state during the heatwave would be in the 30s to mid-40s, peaking “just opposite” Victoria in the 40s on Tuesday.
Fire Chief Chris Hardman said buildings may have been lost, but assessment teams have not yet examined the damage in the thick brush area.
“The warming that will be with us on Tuesday will cause the fire to move potentially quickly,” he said.
Hardman also warned that the Walwa fire in the High Country, near the NSW border, could strain firefighters for weeks as it has spread to more than 100,000 hectares.
“No matter how early [on Sunday]or definitely [on Monday]”We can see that the fire is escaping containment lines and moving south,” he said. “Although there are not large communities at risk, this is a situation to monitor in the coming weeks.”
More than 1,000 structures, including 289 homes, were damaged in bushfires in Victoria this summer.
The Longwood fire devastated parts of central Victoria earlier this month but is now under control.
“It’s very early in the season,” Hardman said. “We have experienced some terrible fires but this is not the time to take our eyes off the challenges ahead.”
Ambulance Victoria said paramedics responded to 11 cases of children locked in cars as temperatures soared on Saturday.
“Hot cars can kill,” Ambulance Victoria emergency management manager Dale Armstrong said.
“Victorians also need to be vigilant and take preventative steps to avoid illnesses like heat stroke, which are those most at risk. [for example] the elderly, young people, pregnant women and those with medical conditions.”
Armstrong warned that heatstroke could be fatal in up to 80 percent of cases.
Powercor, the electricity distributor for Melbourne’s CBD and Victoria’s west, said it would have extra crews, dispatchers, controllers, customer specialists and others ready to mobilize in the coming days.
“We have reviewed all works planned up to Wednesday and will either cancel or modify works to ensure electricity is available in heat-affected areas,” a spokesman said.
“Customers are asked to plan ahead: Charge phones and other devices, keep a battery-powered radio for real-time updates and have a backup plan for life support equipment or care for infants, the elderly, the disabled or pets.”
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