UPDATE: VICTORIANS sweltered through the hottest November day in a century yesterday, hitting 45C-plus in some areas.
But Victorians can look forward to slightly lower temperatures today, with top temps in the high 20s and low 30s.
According to weather websites, Mildura's temperature reached 44.5 degrees at 1.30pm yesterday.
If it becomes official, that would equal the hottest spring day in Victorian history.
The unseasonal late spring weather was due to the arrival of northerly winds which have coincided with the build up of hot weather in the inland.
Mallee schools and nursing homes have been applying extreme heat policies for the scorcher.
Some parents of young students have been able to pick up their children and other students offered "modified classes''.
Last night's Mildura harness race meeting started at 7.30pm rather than 6.30pm to try and miss the worst of the heat.
Total fire bans have been enforced in the Wimmera and Mallee regions, with north-western Victoria expected to record the highest temperatures of the day.
The East Gippsland region was be slightly cooler yesterday, with the mercury set to reach a top of 34C in Bairnsdale.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Dean Stewart said similar weather is to be expected in the coming months.
"It is a bit unusual to see these temperatures in late spring but we've seen temperatures reach mid-40s in Mildura before,'' he said.
"It's a taste of the hot summer to come.''
Commuters travelling on V/Line services were advised to allow extra travelling time as speed restrictions have been implemented due to extreme heat, according to V/Line spokesperson James Kelly.
"Generally heat speed restrictions only affect the Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca lines, however today we are implementing them across almost our entire network,'' Mr Kelly said.
"This is a safety precaution, but is by no means an exact science, if the temperature does not reach the forecasted maximum we do remove them earlier if necessary.''
Additional reporting: AAP
