Australia Weather News

A total fire ban is in place for most of Victoria, with forecast hot and windy conditions described as the perfect "formula" for triggering bushfires.

The ban is in place for all districts except East Gippsland, while a severe weather warning is also in place for damaging winds for the entire state.

The temperature is expected to soar to 39 degrees Celsius in Mildura, while many areas through north and central parts of the state will reach the mid-30s.

Melbourne has a forecast top of 33, ahead of an afternoon cool change.

The Bureau of Meteorology said some parts of the state could experience wind gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said conditions meant fire danger was extreme in some parts of the state.

"We had warm weather in October, but this is really the start of what we would see as the normal summer fire season for Victoria," he said.

"The winds will be up. It's a very hot day. It's a day with potential for fires across most areas, to burn freely and if they let run they will certainly become problems quite quickly."

Mr Lapsley said cool changes were often one of the biggest risks when it came to fire danger.

"We lose a lot of property after a change if a fire is running, and that is something people need to be very careful about," he said.

"The winds will also pick up in speed and the forecast indicates the temperatures will stay up after the cool change, which is quite a different forecast.

"It's an interesting day. Hot, windy, with a south-westerly change is normally the formula for significant fires to run in Victoria."

A fleet of 37 aircraft will be operating in the state, while a large tanker will be moved from Sydney to Albury.

Mr Lapsley said Victorians needed to be aware of the conditions in the areas they were travelling in, and stay across warnings and advice throughout the day.