Australia Weather News

Victorians have been warned to prepare for scorching temperatures today as hot, windy, and dry conditions are forecast across the state.

Total fire bans are in place for five of the regions to the state's west, with some communities warned to expect maximum temperatures around 45 degrees Celsius.

Bureau of Metereology senior forecaster Lincoln Trainor said a front would enter the western parts of Victoria in the early afternoon.

"That is going to cause strong and gusty north-westerly winds, driving up the heat," he said.

"It will cross central districts in the late afternoon and then clear eastern districts overnight on Monday."

Mr Trainor said it was going to be a very hot day.

"We are going to be 12 to 14 degrees above the January average," he said.

But the forecaster said a gusty cool change was expected to come through around 5:30pm.

"That could drop the temperature 10 to 15 degrees within 15 to 20 minutes," he said.

'Have a plan in place'

With total fire bans in place for five districts including the Mallee, Wimmera, Central, North Central, and South West, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) has advised travellers to those areas to get back on the roads early to get home.

All five districts also have an extreme fire danger rating.

CFA deputy chief officer Brett Boatman said it was important that people remained connected to information from emergency services throughout the day.

"Whether that is through the [VicEmergency] app or website, local radio … having more than one source in which you get the information is critical," he said.

"Do not wait for the CFA or for the fire agencies to give you a warning and suggest you act and do something.

"Have a plan in place for what you are going to do given it is a significant fire danger forecast."

Mr Boatman said after today, the next potential lift in fire weather conditions would be either Sunday this week or Monday next week.

"It looks like we are heading into a period of significant heat into the early part of February," he said.

"There is still a lot of summer to go.

"We are just entering into February, which is our busiest month in Victoria for fire danger."

Mr Boatman said a fire that had been burning since December 17 in the Grampians National Park in the state's west was under control.

"[The Grampians fire] is under control and being patrolled and seems settled at the moment, and we're unlikely to see any big runs of fire out of that," he said.

Extreme heat timetables will also be in place for all lines on the V/Line network today.

Passengers are being reminded to allow extra travel time and plan ahead, and to check the V/Line website before travelling for any changes to timetables.