TEMPERATURE records tumbled as the Border sizzled through a 40-plus degree weekend.
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At Yarrawonga on Saturday, the mercury reached 45.7 degrees about 4.30pm, the town’s hottest January day in almost 150 years of records.
The maximum was also its second hottest day on record, behind the 46 degrees recorded in 2009.
At the other end of the Murray River, Corryong also hit a January peak with a temperature of 41.8, 0.2 degrees hotter than its previous record.
The alpine resorts were the coolest places to be.
On the Border, Saturday peaked at 43.4 degrees, by midday the mercury nudging 40 degrees.
Wangaratta reached 44.6 degrees about 4pm.
But both failed to match January records.
There is little respite in the coming days with top temperatures expected to break through the 40-degree mark again today and tomorrow.
Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Sgarbosa said the only hotter day at Yarrawonga had been Black Saturday in 2009.
“It’s the second-highest temperature ever recorded at Yarrawonga since 1879 when they started keeping figures,” he said.
“The only hotter day was Black Saturday when it was 46 degrees.”
Mr Sgarbosa said the heatwave would continue through most of this week, a repeat of Saturday afternoon’s rain unlikely.
“There is a cooler air mass moving across Victoria on Wednesday and there will be a temporary reprieve from the heat with temperatures in the low 30s,” he said.
“But by the end of the week we will again see temperatures creeping up towards 40 degrees.
“Again there is the possibility of rain with that but it is only very slight — the cloud will be high and any rain is likely to evaporate before it even hits the ground.”