Temperatures in parts of Tasmania are tipped to nudge a scorching 40 degrees on Friday, with the risk of fire considered severe for swathes of the island state.
The state's fire authority will be on high alert in the hot and windy weather - Hobart is tipped to reach 36C, while 39 is forecast for Campania and Brighton in the southeast.
"Those temperatures are 10 to 15 degrees warmer than what we'd expect at this time of the year," climatologist Ian Barnes-Keoghan said.
"Luckily for Tasmania it looks like being a short, sharp burst of heat unlike the sustained temperature on parts of the mainland."
The mercury is likely to peak around 2pm, before an afternoon cool change hits Hobart and sweeps up the east coast.
Dry winds of up to 40km/h are expected in the east, with fire danger rated severe at the east coast, southeast, midlands and Upper Derwent Valley.
There's a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, bringing the risk of fires being sparked by lightning strikes.
"In these fire conditions, any fire will be difficult to control. We're urging the public to be vigilant and promptly report fires," Tasmania Fire Service deputy chief officer Bruce Byatt said.
Mr Byatt urged property owners to review their bushfire action plans.
A total fire ban has been declared for the eastern half of the state, including Launceston, the central highlands, southern midlands and Hobart and surrounding areas.
The state's fire service has put extra firefighters and equipment on standby.
Friday is the sixth anniversary of the Dunalley bushfires that destroyed hundreds of homes in the state's southeast.
The extreme conditions have forced the closure of several popular national park tracks at Mt Field, Freycinet and Maria Island.
TOP TEMPERATURES IN TASMANIA ON FRIDAY
39 degrees - Campania, Brighton
38 - Ouse, New Norfolk
37 - Huonville
36 - Hobart, Geeveston, Bothwell, Orford, Swansea, Coles Bay
Source: Bureau of Meteorology
