The Bureau Of Meteorology (BoM) predicts a gusty south-westerly change will hit Melbourne (CBD) around 3.30pm this afternoon. The change may make fires difficult to control and they may break containment lines.
Temperatures in coastal areas and Melbourne are expected to drop between 10-15C ‘rapidly.’ The change will take longer to reach inland Victoria.
Currently, it’s 36°C in Kinglake, 34°C at Castella, 33°C at Toolangi, 36°C at both Dixons & Steels Creek, 35°C at Rubicon, Buxton and Alexandra, 34°C at Glenburn and 38°C at Yea.
What is currently ‘flanks’ of a fire to the western edge of a fire currently travelling in a southerly direction may become the fire front following the cool change. (This is what happened on Black Saturday when the change arrived).
The BoM expect little rain with the cool change but possible dry lightning strikes increasing the chances of fires starting.
