Record-breaking heat

Thursday night was likely to be the hottest night Sheppartonians endured in a decade, according to a Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster, with the mercury not dipping below 30°C.

Among locations seeing warm overnight records broken, Bureau of Meteorology Victoria senior forecaster Michael Efron highlighted Shepparton among the ‘‘uncomfortable conditions across most of the state’’.

Searing: It was almost
hot enough to fry an egg
 outside yesterday as
temperatures soared to more
 than 45°C.

According to BoM data, Shepparton was 40°C at 7 pm on Thursday night, before dropping to about 33°C by midnight.

It continued to drop until it reached a low of 30.2°C at 7 am yesterday, before climbing back up once more.

It was 40°C once again by noon.

After growing hotter and hotter through the afternoon, the hottest the city reached yesterday was 45.4°C at 4.30 pm, before the heat subsided somewhat after 5 pm.

The State Control Centre had stressed the total fire ban in effect yesterday.

The centre had warned Victorians to be prepared for ‘‘the continuation of extreme heat’’, anticipating high winds developing later yesterday.

The authority asked Victorians to stay aware, especially of local conditions and risks if travelling, and with elevated fire danger and little relief from the hot weather, it was important for Victorians to know how to access good, timely information.

According to BoM, temperatures of up to 46°C and 47°C had been expected across some north and eastern parts of the state.

‘‘They could break records,’’ Mr Efron had said early yesterday.

He said the change was going to be ‘‘gusty’’ and ‘’significant’’.

‘‘I think as we head into the early (yesterday) evening, we’ll start to see those winds easing …’’

He predicted a ‘‘pleasant night for Melbourne’’ last night, but the change was expected to come later for the north.

‘‘Unfortunately over in the north-east that change won’t move through until the second half of Saturday . . . So a really warm night up in places,’’ he said.

According to BoM readings from Shepparton Airport, the city temperature sat at about 44°C for about three hours with the fire danger deemed extreme for the northern country yesterday.

Story from The Shepparton News by Thomas Moir -  “Record-breaking heat".

Melbourne weather: Winter warmth set fair as high pressure keeps cold at bay

Forget about four seasons in one day.

Sunrise on Bourke Street, Melbourne on Thursday.

Melbourne is meant to be in the grip of chilly midwinter but the mercury has already topped 17 degrees today and forecasters are expecting the mild spell to continue for the next week.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a top of 15 for tomorrow, the day after – and all the days until Wednesday.

Michael Efron, the Bureau's senior forecaster puts the blame fairly and squarely on a high pressure system over the Tasman Sea.

"It is a really settled pattern that we have across south-eastern Australia," Mr Efron said.

Read Neelima Choahan’s story in the Melbourne Age - “Melbourne weather: Winter warmth set fair as high pressure keeps cold at bay.”

Heavy rain and flash flooding a low moves down east coast

Age reporter, Daniella Miletic.

Gippsland residents are bracing themselves for damaging winds, heavy rain and flash flooding as a low pressure system moves down the east coast.

Melburnians should also keep their brollies handy and get used to "grey and miserable" weather conditions through to the weekend with forecasts of cold weather and rainy days ahead.

The Bureau of Meteorology reports that there has already been a lot of rain in East Gippsland, with more than 100 millimetres likely to fall by Monday evening in parts of the region. Senior forecaster Keris Arndt said pockets of heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding.

Read Daniella Miletic’s story in the Melbourne Age - “'Grey, miserable' weather ahead: Heavy rains lead to flood warnings in Gippsland.”