Melbourne has exceeded 39 degrees for the third time in two weeks and the heat won't leave until tomorrow morning. In a typical January the mercury only exceeds 39 degrees once in Melbourne, making this past two weeks unusual. The city reached 40.7 degrees while Viewbank hit its hottest temperature in three years, reaching 40.9 degrees. The hot temperatures have led to fire dangers reaching extreme levels in the Melbourne area and across much of Victoria. Horsham and Hopetoun both reached Catastrophic levels, the highest possible rating. Relief from the heat won't reach Melbourne until tomorrow morning. The mercury will sit in the 30's well into the evening, only dropping to the mid 20's as the change arrives in the morning. Thankfully for many, the arrival of the monsoon trough over the north of Australia has brought increased cloud, breaking up the heat over central Australia. This means that temperatures over 39 degrees are unlikely for Melbourne for at least the next fortnight.