TEMPERATURES in the Wimmera are set to soar this week with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a three-day heatwave for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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The Country Fire Authority declared a Total Fire Ban for the Wimmera on Wednesday and a statewide Total Fire Ban for Friday.
No fires can be lit or be allowed to remain alight in the open air from 12.01am on Wednesday and Friday until 11.59pm.
The forecast for Horsham on Wednesday is a top of 43 degrees, the Thursday forecast is a top of 39 degrees and Friday is tipped to reach 47 degrees.
Bureau of Meteorology Victoria senior meteorologist Rod Dickson said temperature records could be broken across north-western Victoria.
"The state maximum record for December is 46.6 degrees recorded at Robinvale way back in the (1970s) and we could see that record challenged later this week," he said, "Particularly during the Friday where we could see temperatures as high as 47 degrees, possibly even a little bit more than that.
"Really it is one for the books, this heatwave."
Mr Dickson said a cool southerly change might come in through the west late on Friday.
"It's going to be a dry week with no significant rainfall associated with any of the changes through the week," he said. "There is just the chance of some dry lightning associated with the change on Friday which could pose a bit of a risk with new fire starts."
The Wednesday forecast for Warracknabeal is 44 degrees, Thursday could reach 41 degrees and Friday may get as hot as 47 degrees.
The top temperature forecast for Nhill on Wednesday is 43, while the forecast high for Thursday is 40 degrees and Friday could reach a top of 47 degrees.
In Edenhope the forecast for Wednesday is tipped to reach 41 degrees, the Thursday forecast is a high of 36 degrees and the mercury could reach 45 degrees on Friday.
The high for Ararat on Wednesday is 41 degrees, Thursday is forecast for a high of 33 degrees and Friday could reach 43 degrees.
Stawell is forecast to reach a top of 42 degrees on Wednesday, dropping to a high of 35 on Thursday and could peak at 44 degrees on Friday.
The average high temperature for Horsham in December is 28.7 degrees while the current record for Horsham's hottest day was 47.6 degrees on February 7 2009 - during the Black Saturday bushfires.
The Fire Danger Period is in place for all districts in Western Victoria.
The Country Fire Authority have put the fire danger rating as severe for the Wimmera on Wednesday, very high on Thursday and extreme on Friday.
Emergency Management Victoria said in a statement that parts of the Wimmera and Mallee were forecast to experience above-normal bushfire potential over the summer.
An Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook update released on Monday revealed the conditions are due to above average temperatures drying out grasslands and forests over the last three months coupled with insufficient rainfall.
As a result, soil moisture is lower compared to the long-term average.
The update said that when grasses and crops are close to fully dry, there is a very high potential for fire behaviour to rapidly escalate under elevated fire weather conditions.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said there was no room for Victorians to be complacent about their fire risk this summer.
"This week will be a challenge for us - temperatures are forecast to be in the 40s for a number of days in the north and high 30s and into the 40s forecast for Melbourne this week," he said.
"The heat and elevated fire danger will put pressure on our current fires. Our firefighters, on the ground and in the air, as well as heavy machinery operators are working really hard on these fires, but we need the community to do their part.
"It's critical that if you live, work or are on the move to new areas, you must know where you are in relation to these existing fires because conditions can change very quickly. It's also important to stay informed of any new fires or emergencies, listen to information and warnings and be ready to enact your plan."
Mr Crisp advised people to stay informed by downloading the VicEmergency app and setting up a watch zone for where they were or where they were going.
Lubeck farmer and Victorian Farmers Federation Wimmera branch president Graeme Maher said his employees would not be doing any work on Wednesday and Friday afternoon.
"It's just too dangerous," he said.
He advised other farmers to make sure they took all precautions with their property and themselves.
"When it gets that hot a whole lot of things come into play, such as stress on machinery and animals," Mr Maher said.
Australia Post contractor Mick Darnell said he stayed cool on his delivery run by keeping the air conditioner running in his car.
"I also drink a bottle of red Powerade during the day to keep hydrated," he said.
The 78-year-old said the doctor recommended he drink the sports drink to cope with his kidney issues.
Mr Darnell's wife Jean Darnell said on hot days she helped out with a few of his deliveries. She said Mr Darnell started work at about 5.30am so he often missed the worst of the heat.
"When he gets home he flops down in the chair and falls asleep in the cool house," Mrs Darnell said.
A spokesman from Australia Post said they encouraged mail contractors to take safety precautions in extreme weather.
"We educate our people on how to stay safe in the heat and take extra precautions when it is extremely hot, such as giving staff the opportunity to start earlier and providing cold refreshments, like fruit, icy poles and chilled water," he said.
"In addition, we encourage our people to exercise permission to pause, which means stopping work if there's a perceived risk to their safety."
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