Parts of SA and Victoria will see severe fire danger ratings today as a burst of hot and windy weather sweeps across southern Australia.

A low pressure system moving from the Great Australian Bight towards Bass Strait will cause northerly winds to strengthen over SA and Victoria today, ahead of a blustery westerly-to-southerly change.

Temperatures are likely to reach the low-forties in northern SA and the mid-thirties across central and eastern SA and northwest Victoria by this afternoon.

Image: Forecast surface air temperature on Thursday afternoon, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

This heat will combine with low relative humidity and gusty winds, causing fire danger ratings to spike in some areas. Total fire bans have been issued until midnight tonight in Victoria's Mallee district and SA's North West Pastoral, Flinders, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Mid North, Yorke Peninsula, Riverland and Murraylands districts. Severe fire danger is likely in these regions.

Adeliade and Melbourne will escape the worst of the heat, but will still reach around 29ºC and 25ºC respectively. It will also be a windy day in both cities.

A severe weather warning is alos in place for damaging winds in parts of central SA and Vic on Thursday, including the Mount Lofty Ranges and Ballarat.

Looking ahead, cooler southerly winds, cloud and rain will spread over parts of SA and VIC on Friday and Saturday as an upper-level trough traverses southern Australia. Below is a map showing where and how much rain is expected to fall between now (Thursday) and Saturday night.

Image: Forecast accumulated rain between Thursday and Saturday, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

You can keep up to date with the latest information on bushfires by visiting the CFS and Vic Emergency websites.