Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Victoria TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST Heatwave Warning Issued at 02:41 PM EDT on Tuesday 06 January 2026 Valid for Tuesday 06 January 2026 to Friday 09 January 2026 Warning for the following areas: Northern Country, North East, East Gippsland and West and South Gippsland Warning for the following areas: Mallee, Wimmera, Central, North Central and South West Safety Advice: Extreme heatwaves can be dangerous for everyone. Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell. Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre or shopping centre. Close your windows and draw blinds, curtains or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home. If available, use fans or air-conditioners to keep cool. A prolonged period of heat is forecast for Victoria this week peaking over the next few days. In the north, maximum temperatures in the low to mid forties and overnight minimum temperatures in the high teens to low twenties, increasing to low to high twenties by Friday. In the south, maximum temperatures in the mid thirties to low forties and overnight minimum temperatures in the low to mid teens, increasing to high teens to low twenties in the southeast by Thursday. Severe to Extreme heatwave conditions forecast to ease from the southwest with a cooler change over the weekend. Locations likely to be impacted include Melbourne Metropolitan Area, Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Bendigo, Horsham, Mildura, Melton, Maryborough, Seymour and Shepparton. The next heatwave warning will be issued by 3:00pm EDT on Wednesday 07 January 2026