A raging bushfire rages through one end of Australia as heavy rainfall destroys the other, triggering severe thunderstorms and flood warnings.
Six homes have been destroyed by bushfires in northern Beaufort, near Ballarat, and other parts of western Victoria.
After a warm weekend, Melburnians will enjoy a cool respite before the heatwave returns on Wednesday.
South-east Queensland recorded 99 per cent humidity on Saturday, continuing into Sunday morning for the Sunshine Coast.
Cooler weather is forecast elsewhere in the Sunshine State and flood warnings have been issued in the north due to heavy rainfall this weekend.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Monday, with heavy rain possible across inland far north and north-west Queensland.
Thunderstorms are also possible north of Winton and Gladstone.
Also in the north, heavy rain is forecast to crush Darwin in the coming days.
The Northern Territory and Queensland will be drenched by heavy rain
There has been an out of control bushfire north of Beaufort, near Ballarat in Victoria (photo).
Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra will see weather spikes mid-week. The photo shows beachgoers at Bondi Beach in Sydney
Hobart will have a cloudy week, with Tasmanians not expected to see the sun until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Sydney is set for a mostly sunny week after Friday night’s lightning strike affected four people and delayed Taylor Swift’s performance at Accor Stadium on Friday.
Perth and Adelaide are also in for warm weeks, with the mercury expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Melbourne
Melbourne’s top of 30C on Sunday turns into a cool and cloudy Monday, with a high of just 21C with a chance of rain.
However, the cooler weather won’t last long.
Tuesday will usher in even more heat, with a high of 30 on Tuesday.
BoM senior meteorologist Angus Hines told Daily Mail Australia the rest of the week is “really about a warming trend”.
“There will be a real peak on Wednesday with a maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius,” he said.
Mr Hines said the high temperatures pose an extreme fire risk, especially as they will be combined with “dry and gusty northerly winds”.
“Parts of northern Victoria could reach 40 degrees Celsius or even the low 40s.”
Mr Hines said the cooler weather on Monday will be a good chance for firefighters to get the fire under control before the extreme heat sets in.
The end of the week will be cooler and calmer.
BoM senior meteorologist Angus Hines said high temperatures and strong winds pose an extreme fire risk in Victoria
The state’s high temperatures create perfect fire conditions (photo bushfires near Ballarat)
Sydney
“Sydney is having a pretty clear and bright start to the week,” Mr Hines said.
Temperatures should reach a maximum of 27 degrees Celsius on Monday and early fog could develop for the western suburbs.
There may be some cloudiness on Tuesday with some ‘humidity’ here and there.
However, temperatures start to rise mid-week on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mr Hines warns that in Sydney’s western suburbs, like Penrith, temperatures could reach 39 to 40 degrees Celsius.
Sydney siders are in for a midweek hit
Brisbane
Although there was light rain and mostly cloudy skies on Sunday morning, Monday will see a high of 31 degrees and mostly sunny.
“There is a chance of showers mid-Monday, but it won’t be much,” he said.
The forecast for the rest of the week is ‘static’, with Tuesday 31C – 33C, with not too much wind.
Parts of the state received heavy rain over the weekend.
‘Tully had 450mm for 24 hours. Even for that part of the country the weather was very wet. But the flood waters are starting to recede and the drought should continue,” he said.
Mr Hines said there may be a few showers and storms daily, but it will be normal wet weather activity for this time of year, rather than the “persistent wet weather activity they experienced this weekend”, he said.
Mr Hines said Queenslanders could expect a few showers and storms daily throughout the week
Perth
There is some chance of rain on Sunday, but this is mainly forecast for inland Western Australia.
The outlook for the week in Perth is dry, cooler and mild.
“There was a record high of 40 degrees Celsius in Perth in February. They will welcome the cooler week,” Mr Hines said.
Adelaide
Adelaide started the week with a sunny Sunday and no chance of rain.
The city will start the week well, but from Tuesday the mercury will start to rise and reach 30 degrees on Tuesday, with gusty winds possible.
“The greatest fire danger is for Tuesday and Wednesday,” Mr Hines said.
A fire warning is in effect throughout the week in the southern and south-eastern parts of the state, including Adelaide.
The city will end the week warm to mild.
Due to the wet season in Darwin, rain and storms are possible daily (photo)
Darwin
“It’s a fairly typical wet season forecast, so Darwin could see the forecast rain and storms on a daily basis.”
Mr Hines said rainfall could vary by suburb, so residents could expect 1 to 20mm of rain daily.
Temperatures will exceed 30 degrees in the coming week, with the highest temperature of 33 degrees on Sunday.
Hobart
Both Sunday and Monday are similar: both cloudy and around 20 degrees.
However, on Tuesday the temperature will start to rise to 26 degrees Celsius, before reaching 28 degrees on Wednesday.
However, this may be accompanied by some rain.
Canberra
The start of the week started bright and sunny with a maximum of 28 degrees.
The weather should be similar on Monday, but Tuesday will be cloudy, although no rain should occur.
However, temperatures rise on Wednesday and Thursday, reaching 34 degrees Celsius both days.