Australia Weather News

Authorities are on alert in South Australia as the Country Fire Service (CFS) implores the community to "be ready" ahead of a day of "extremely high fire danger".

The CFS and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) are forecasting extreme fire danger with total fire bans in place for nine districts, covering most of the southern half of the state today.

Temperatures are again expected to reach into the 40s in Adelaide, after peaking at 44.7 degrees Celsius — an Australia Day record — while Ceduna, on the state's west coast, reached a record-breaking 49.5C yesterday.

CFS state duty commander Ray Jackson said the state's fire risk was not as bad as Saturday when it reached a "catastrophic" rating, but urged community members to "make good decisions".

"I am concerned about the whole state," he said.

"We know the wind is going to be the strongest down in the South East, so we are concerned about that area, and we are working and planning to make sure that we can supplement incident management down in the South East."

Mr Jackson said a contained fire which ignited at Keilira, near Padthaway, on the weekend was being closely monitored.

'Ready to go at a moment's notice'

He said the state's 13,500 volunteer firefighters were "all briefed and ready to go at a moment's notice should anything occur", while additional resources were also in place.

"We have been planning for this event; we knew the hot weather was coming, we knew it was going to be a risky fire danger period. We have been planning for this event for a number of days, and those plans are still in place."

He said people should enact their bushfire plans, or leave early, and implored anyone travelling around the state to "be vigilant".

"People generally tend to underestimate how fast a fire can travel," he said.

"They tend to underestimate the time they have in order to be able to take shelter."

The total fire bans are in place at: Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East and Lower South East.

BOM meteorologist Jonathan Fischer said the strengthening winds — predicted to reach up to 50 kilometres an hour in the South East — combined with the continued high temperatures ahead of an expected change, posed a risk.

"Given the heat and the dry conditions, there is still enough wind to pose a serious risk," he said.

He also warned people to be cautious around trees, as heat stress was causing branches and trees to fall.

The mercury is expected to reach 41C in Adelaide today, after temperatures remained high overnight.

Much of the rest of the state is again expected to experience maximums in the low to mid 40s, while Renmark, in the Riverland, is forecast to reach 48C.

Port Augusta, Lameroo, Marree, Wakerie and Bordertown are tipped to reach 47C, while parts of the state's west coast, like Ceduna, can expect maximums in the mid-20s.

Relief for other parts of the state is not expected until the weekend, with maximum temperatures in Adelaide not dipping into the 20s until Saturday.

Sweltering temperatures have also prompted the state government to extend its Code Red declaration until Wednesday.

The declaration reached Tier 2 yesterday, making some overnight accommodation available for people sleeping rough.

Aquatic centre opens

South Australians will be able to seek relief at the new $135 million Adelaide Aquatic Centre, which officially opens to the public today.

Premier Peter Malinauskas cut the ribbon yesterday, where people selected from 10,000 who registered via a ballot were able to get a sneak peek.

"This is a facility which sets up our state for the future, and will provide excitement, education and shared experience for generations to come," he said.

The new centre includes indoor and outdoor pools, four water slides, splash zones, diving amenities, gym and fitness facilities, café and retail spaces, and an outdoor lawned area with barbecues.