An extreme heatwave warning has been issued for the North East until Tuesday, 27 January by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) ahead of five consecutive days with over 40-degree forecasts.

A severe heatwave warning has been issued for Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, East Gippsland, West and South Gippsland, Central, North Central and South West

Maximum temperatures increasing this weekend to the high thirties to mid forties over the north of the state, and in the low to high thirties over East Gippsland.

Overnight minimum temperatures in the high teens to mid twenties over the north of the state, and in the low to high teens over East Gippsland.

Severe to extreme heatwave conditions are building over the north and east of the state over the weekend and persisting well into next week.

Locations likely to be impacted include Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Ballarat, Horsham, Mildura, Maryborough, Shepparton, Seymour, Swan Hill and Wangaratta.

Wangaratta council closely monitors advice from the BoM, the Department of Health, and VicEmergency to decide whether to extend opening hours at the Wangaratta Sports and Aquatic Centre (WSAC) and offer free pool entry - go to council's website and social media channels for updates.

Extreme heatwaves can be dangerous for everyone.

Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell.

Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre or shopping centre.

Close your windows and draw blinds, curtains or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home.

If available, use fans or air-conditioners to keep cool.

For further safety information before, during and after heatwaves, visit https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/campaigns/survive-heat.

To stay up to date with heatwave warnings, visit https://www.bom.gov.au.

For more information on Total Fire Bans, visit https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/.