‘Toughest conditions imaginable’: Victorians urged to shelter inside from heatwave as tropical cyclone heads for Queensland

Heatwave warnings in place for nearly all states and territories as Sydney braces for 43C forecast on Saturday

A heatwave engulfing much of Australia pushed Melbourne’s mercury past 42C, as authorities urged Victorians to stay indoors on Friday. The extreme heat is forecast to descend on Sydney on Saturday.

Anthony Albanese met officials in Canberra for a briefing on the extreme conditions and said these were “difficult times” for the country.

The prime minister urged people to follow advice from officials, when instructed to evacuate properties in the path of a bushfire or advised not to risk driving in flood waters.

“We hope for the best but we prepare for the worst,” he said.

Melbourne’s maximum temperature was forecast to reach 43C on Friday, and up to 45C in some suburbs. The city was 42.9C at 3:40pm, with 44C recorded in suburbs including Laverton and Viewbank.

Catastrophic and extreme fire danger ratings were in place throughout Victoria, with the entire state under a total fire ban. The central district, which includes Melbourne and Geelong, was approaching catastrophic with a fire danger rating of 99 (100 or more is considered catastrophic).

Fires were expected to be “unpredictable, uncontrollable and fast-moving”, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, said as the extreme heat combined with damaging winds and the risk of dry lightning.

Extreme conditions extended across much of South Australia as well as the New South Wales Riverina. Heatwave warnings remained in place for all states and territories except Queensland.

Hopetoun airport , in north-west Victoria, hit 46C, and Walpeup reached 46.5C by early afternoon, , while 47C was recorded at Renmark and Coober Pedy airports in SA. In NSW, Hay airport recorded 44.9C.

In Queensland, a tropical low heading towards Cairns was forecast to intensify into tropical cyclone Koji by the time it made landfall.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said it was “the most dangerous day we have had in years”, with fire crews battling blazes in some of the “toughest conditions imaginable”.

Fires were already burning in several states, including out-of-control bushfires at Longwood and Walwa in Victoria.

The chief officer of the CFA, Jason Heffernan, warned conditions on Friday would be “dire”, including potential wind gusts of up to 100km/h.

“Do not travel today if you don’t need to,” he said.

A total fire ban was in place across the entire state of Victoria on Friday, 11 out of 15 fire districts in South Australia and four in NSW (eastern and southern Riverina, Monaro Alpine and Southern Slopes).

Wind gusts of 112km/h were recorded at Mount Gellibrand, north-east of Colac just after 1pm. A severe weather warning due to damaging winds was in place across most of Victoria.

The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting daytime temperatures 12-16C above average across much of south-eastern Australia.

Sydney could expect the worst of the weather on Saturday, Scully said, with temperatures forecast to reach 42C .

Extreme fire danger was expected across south-east NSW, including greater Sydney, Illawarra Shoalhaven, southern ranges, Monaro Alpine and the southern Slopes, as well as Canberra, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service. Total fire bans were in place for those districts as well as the central ranges, greater Hunter and the far south coast.

The City of Canterbury Bankstown, in western Sydney, was extending opening hours for its pools and libraries, with hotter temperatures expected in western suburbs.

On Thursday, many places recorded their hottest January temperature on record, said Sarah Scully, a senior meteorologist at the bureau. They included Renmark, which reached 47.3C, and Loxton at 46.2C, both towns in SA’s Riverland, as well as Hopetoun (46.3C) in Victoria’s Mallee.

Tarcoola, in SA’s far north, reached 48.2C on Thursday.

There was little relief for people in heatwave affected areas after days of extreme daytime temperaturesturning into warm nights. Renmark’s minimum overnight was 30.9C.

“People need to take action to stay cool, hydrated and stay indoors where possible,” Scully said.

In Victoria, a section of the Hume Highway remained closed, public land and parks were closed, and several regional train and coach services cancelled. About 35,000 customers were without power across the state, with crews working to restore power as safely as possible.

In Melbourne, Metro Trains advised delays were likely across the city’s entire rail network.

A number of post offices in catastrophic risk zones were expected to close this afternoon, with delivery delays expected due to bushfires.

A cool change was expected to move through south-western Victoria in the early afternoon, reaching Melbourne between 6pm and 7pm.

Tasmania was also expecting elevated fire risk, with the Tasmania Fire Service declaring a total fire ban for the state’s south and the Furneaux Islands from Saturday. ACT has also declared a total fire ban for tomorrow.

Capital city forecast for Saturday:

• Sydney: sunny, maximum 42C.

• Canberra: windy, sunny, maximum 37C.

• Darwin: showers, storm, maximum 32C.

• Perth: mostly sunny, maximum 32C.

• Melbourne: becoming windy, partly cloudy, maximum 27C.

• Brisbane: shower or two, maximum 30C.

• Adelaide: cloudy, maximum 24C.

• Hobart: shower or two, maximum 21C.

• It has been unusual to have such extreme heat and fire conditions during a La Niña summer, and after a strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole, according to Andrew Watkins, a climate expert at Monash University.

  “Normally we would be more worried about floods with those climate drivers,” he said. “But two factors have played a big role in 2025/26, including the strongest stratospheric warming above Antarctica since 2019, and climate change.”

  As of 4pm on Friday Queensland’s tropical low was within 65km from Cairns, with sustained winds of 65km/h and gusts up to 95km/h.

  The BoM was forecasting the slow moving tropical low, developing in the Coral Sea, was expected to turn towards the south southwest later on Friday, bringing it towards the coast overnight.

  It was expected to make landfall between Innisfail and Bowen, most likely early on Sunday.

  “There’s already ongoing moderate to major flooding through northwestern and north-central parts of Queensland, and grounds are already wet and saturated, so this increases the risk of both flash and riverine flooding across already flood-affected areas,” Scully said.

  A warning zone stretched from Port Douglas to Tully, including Cairns and Innisfail.

  Australia experienced its fourth-warmest year on record in 2025, with average temperatures up 1.23C nationally, according to BoM.

  The climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves and bushfires.

Cover photo:  Country Fire Authority firefighters douse a home amid the bushfire in Longwood, Victoria. Photograph: Michael Currie/Reuters