New heatwave conditions expected in southeast Australia

Heatwave conditions are expected over the coming week in southeast Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warned Monday. Severe heatwave conditions are expected around the Victoria/New South Wales border region, the BoM said. Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA) has declared Tuesday to be a total fire ban day across the state, which means no fires can be lit or be allowed to remain alight in the open air. Forecast say that parts of Victoria will stay above 40 degree Celsius for six days, while Melbourne will be in the 30s for much of the week. This is the second heatwave to hit the country in the new year. Figures from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine showed there were 139 more deaths than expected between January 13, when the last heatwave began, and January 23. Victoria experienced its hottest four-day period for both maximum and average heat, with four days in a row of 40 degree Celsium temperatures felt in Melbourne. Fire authorities in South Australia (SA) and New South Wales ( NSW) remain busy battling fires mostly started by lightning during last week's spell of fierce heat. On Monday, SA's Country Fire Service crews were working to contain an uncontrolled bushfire burning towards the small townships of Napperby and Nelshaby in the southern Flinders Ranges. NSW's Rural Fire Service (RFS) is also fighting six uncontrolled fires among 44 blazes burning across the state as of Monday. "With conditions starting to warm, there's the potential for new fires to start," said Joel Kursawe, an RFS spokesman. The rain outlook is not likely to aid firefighting efforts either, with little rainfall expected over south-eastern Australia for the next week or longer, said Rob Sharpe, a meteorologist at Weatherzone. The previous heatwave was one of the most significant in history, the BoM noted in a special climate statement released last week. As of the end of last week, Australia was on course for its fourth-hottest January on record. The coming bursts of heat may lift that ranking even higher, Sharpe said. While regions of northern Australia have had monsoonal or cyclonic conditions keeping a lid on temperatures, "there's still stacks of heat over the south", he said.