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Extreme fire danger in Vic and SA this weekend

A burst of hot and windy weather will sweep across southeastern Australia this weekend, causing Extreme fire danger in parts of Victoria and South Australia.

A strengthening stream of northerly winds developing ahead of an approaching cold front will drag hot inland air towards southeastern Australia over the next couple of days. This weather pattern will cause ta spike in temperatures and fire danger in several states this weekend.

Temperatures were already warming on Friday as the inland air mass started creeping into the country’s south and southeast. Adelaide and Melbourne Airport had already reached 30°C by 2pm AEDT, with even higher temperature in other parts of SA and Vic.

Saturday will be noticeably warmer as the peak of the heat arrives, likely sending temperatures to around 37 to 38°C in Adelaide and Melbourne and above 40°C further inland.

Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

In addition to the higher temperatures, Saturday will also see a significant uptick in wind as north to northwesterlies strengthen ahead of a blustery southwesterly cool change.

The combination of hot and windy weather on Saturday is expected to cause Extreme fire danger ratings over parts of central and western Vic and central and southeastern SA. This has prompted the CFA to declare total fire bans in the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, North Central and Central (includes Melbourne and Geelong) districts of Victoria on Saturday. High fire danger is also likely in other areas of Vic and SA, and parts of Tas and NSW on Saturday and Sunday.

Image: Forecast fire danger ratings on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

Another dangerous aspect of this weekend’s weather pattern will be the potential for thunderstorms with little or no rain in parts of southeastern Australia. This increases the risk of new fires being ignited by lightning strikes.

Image: Daily forecast on the Weatherzone app showing Extreme fire danger rating and thunderstorms with little or no rainfall on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

A cool southwesterly change will reach Adelaide on Saturday night and Melbourne on Sunday afternoon. This change will allow temperatures to drop briefly before the next round of warmer air arrives by the middle of next week.