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Tropical low 12U is bringing gusty showers and storms to north Qld. Tropical moisture and a broad region of low pressure is bringing showers and storms to the NT's north and WA's north and east. A trough crossing Vic and Tas is bringing gusty showers and storms.
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Today, 6:02AM UTC
Rural Victoria hits 46.5°C as Melbourne suburbs top 44°C
Searing heat has broken at least one January record in Victoria, as the state endured its worst day of bushfire danger since the Black Summer of 2019/20. Victoria swelters through extreme heat The state’s hottest reading for Friday was 46.5°C at Walpeup in the Mallee region, about 90 minutes south of Mildura. About half an hour southeast of Walpeup, Hopetoun Airport registered 46.3°C. This broke the old January record of 46.0°C set on January 4, 2019 (data back to 2004). Melbourne's hottest day in five years Just before 4pm, Melbourne’s official city station at Olympic Park reached 42.9°C. This made it the city's hottest day since the Black Summer of 2019/20. Even hotter temperatures were recorded in some of Melbourne's outer suburbs, including 44.9°C at Point Cook on the city's southwestern outskirts, illustrating that proximity to Port Phillip Bay was no defence against the scorching northwesterly winds. Melbourne Airport recorded 44.4°C at 3:47pm, making it the site's hottest day since December 20, 2019. At least three South Australian locations reach 47°C Roxby Downs and Coober Pedy in the state’s North West Pastoral district registered 47.4°C and 47.2°C respectively to 4pm Friday (ACDT), while Renmark in the Riverland hit 47.0°C after the previous day topped out at 47.3°C, which was within just 0.1°C of the annual record. Renmark also hit a high of 45.5°C on Wednesday, making it the town's most intense three-day hot spell in at least 70 years. Relief coming for southern states The good news for South Australians and Victorians – including those currently facing severe bushfire conditions – is that cooler conditions are on their way, albeit with little if any significant rain. The cooler air is already starting to arrive on Friday evening. Melbourne lost 10 degrees within just 10 minutes as winds swung around to the southwest around 5pm, and should see its maximum drop to just 27°C on Saturday. A string of even cooler days with maximums in the low twenties will follow. Virtually the whole of South Australia and Victoria can also expect a spell of cooler conditions from Saturday onwards. While Victoria's fire danger rating drops to high in all districts on Saturday (from Friday’s extreme or catastrophic rating) it’s important to note that a total fire ban remains in place for Saturday across Victoria. Heat shifts to NSW on Saturday Meanwhile the escalating bushfire danger and extreme heat will shift to New South Wales on Saturday, with Sydney expecting a maximum of 43°C in the city with similar extremes expected right across the Sydney basin. The NSW fire danger for Saturday is rated as extreme in five districts, including in the Sydney area. Image: Forecast maximums across NSW and Vic on Saturday, January 10, 2026, according to the ECMWF model. Note the small area of pink centred on Sydney.
Today, 4:38AM UTC
Potential tropical cyclone threatens Queensland: Heavy rain, damaging winds expected this weekend
Heavy rain and damaging winds are likely to affect parts of eastern Qld this weekend as a potential tropical cyclone hits the state’s northeast coast. Tropical cyclone risk increasing A tropical low currently deepening over the Coral Sea is expected to intensify further as it approaches the Qld coast this weekend. At 10am AEST on Friday, the low was located roughly 405 km to the northeast of Cairns. While the low was barely moving on Friday morning, it is expected to start tracking towards the south southwest on Friday afternoon and night, bringing it closer to Qld’s North Tropical Coast. Image: Visible satellite image showing the tropical low to the east of northern Qld on Friday, January 9, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. At this stage, the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts the low to become a category 1 tropical cyclone on Saturday, before reaching the coast somewhere between Cairns and Ayr late Saturday or early Sunday. If it does become a tropical cyclone, it will be named Koji. Heavy rain and damaging winds on the way This system will cause heavy rain and gale force winds to develop over parts of northeast Qld on Saturday, with both rain and wind increasing as the system gets closer to the coast. The heaviest rain and strongest winds will be located near and south of the system’s centre. The map below shows how much rain is expected to fall between Friday and Sunday, although rainfall amounts will depend on the intensity and location of the low or tropical cyclone as it approaches the coast. Falls of 50 to 150 mm are likely over a broad area extending from about Cooktown to Bundaberg between Friday and Sunday, although much of this rain will fall within 24 hours for most places. Isolated daily totals could reach 200 to 400 mm between about Cooktown and Mackay from Friday night through Saturday, with six-hourly rain rates possibly reaching 100 to 250 mm in this area. Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the 72 hours ending at 10pm AEST on Sunday, January 11, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. This rain will be falling into rivers that are already elevated from recent rain, which will exacerbate the risk of further flooding in the coming days. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Flood Watch for rivers between Cooktown and Rockhampton, and for the Cape York Peninsula. Minor to major riverine flooding is possible in these areas from Friday into the weekend. In addition to the rain and flooding, isolated areas of damaging winds could develop along the coast between Tully and Cooktown from Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. Looking further ahead, blustery winds and heavy rain could extend further south over the Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast districts from Sunday into early next week. How to stay safe during this event Emergency services advise people to never drive, walk or swim through floodwater, and stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams and waterways. Plan ahead to avoid flooded roads and do not drive if conditions are dangerous. Anyone living in eastern Qld should monitor the latest forecasts and warnings in their area over the coming days, which can be found on the Weatherzone and Bureau of Meteorology websites and apps.
08 Jan 2026, 9:04PM UTC
43°C predicted for Melbourne amid catastrophic fire danger in Victoria
Authorities have issued total fire bans across parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales on Friday, with intense heat and blustery winds likely to cause catastrophic fire danger in four Victorian districts. Fire danger ratings spiking A low pressure system moving to the south of Australia on Friday will cause northwesterly winds to strengthen over southeastern Australia. These blustery winds will carry extremely hot air towards Vic, causing temperatures and fire danger ratings to soar. Friday's burst of hot and windy weather will cause catastrophic fire danger ratings in Victoria’s Wimmera, North Central, Northern Country and South West districts. Extreme fire danger is predicted elsewhere in Vic and in parts of southern NSW and large areas of SA. Image: Forecast fire danger ratings and total fire bans on Friday, January 9, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Catastrophic fire danger is the highest possible level of fire danger in Australia. This rating indicates the most dangerous conditions possible for a fire. If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be threatened, and help may not be available if a fire is impacting your home. Victoria’s Country Fire Authority urges residents to follow this advice on days with catastrophic fire danger: Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire. For your survival, do not be in bushfire risk areas. Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before. Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available. The highest fire danger ratings on Friday are likely to occur in Vic during the afternoon, as temperatures and wind reach their peak for the day. A west-southwesterly change passing over the state in the afternoon and evening will bring some relief from the heat, although the change in wind direction will also cause fires to start moving in a new direction, which can make them difficult to control. The wind change may also trigger a few thunderstorms across parts of Vic on Friday. These storms are likely to produce little or no rain, which means dry lightning could start new fires as the storms pass through. Hottest day in years for parts of southeastern Australia Temperatures are predicted to exceed 40°C over a broad area of Australia on Friday, extending more than 3500 km from southern Vic all the way up to Western Australia’s Pilbara district. While these temperatures are normal for mid-summer in northwestern Australia, some areas in the southeast will have their hottest day in more than five years on Friday. Image: Forecast maximum temperatures over Australia on Friday, January 9, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Melbourne is forecast to reach 43°C on Friday afternoon, which would make it the city’s hottest day since December 2019 during Australia's ‘Black Summer’. Further north, Mildura is predicted to reach 45°C and SA’s Renmark is forecast to reach 46°C on Friday. This extreme heat will pose a risk to human health and infrastructure and put strain on energy supply in Vic, SA, NSW and the ACT. Visit the Australian Red Cross website for tips on how to keep cool during a heatwave.