Summer is over but the weather is showing no signs of cooling down. Heatwave and health warnings have been issued as Victoria and South Australia swelter through their hottest start to autumn in 30 years with temperatures set to nudge 40C in the coming days. Melbourne is in the middle of a four-day heatwave of 36C temperatures while parts of regional Victoria are expected to soar into the 40s. Adelaide will swelter through two consecutive days of 40C temperatures in the South Australian capital on Friday and Saturday. Australia's southern states are sweltering through a heatwave as temperatures soared on Friday (above) Melburnians flocked to the beach on Friday to escape the heat as temperatures soared to 37C Melbourne had already reached 26C by 5.30am on Friday after the city sweltered through one of its hottest March nights ever, with 26.3C at Laverton. It was just shy of the 26.5C record set in 2013. The city's Route 30 tram services have been cancelled while buses will replace route 78 and 82 due to the scorching weather. Melbourne is experiencing a four-day heatwave of 36C plus temperatures The heatwave has been caused by northerly winds dragging heat into Australia's southern states. 'A severe heatwave warning is in place for most Victoria until the cool change is expected to come through late Sunday,' Bureau of Meteorology Matthew Michael told Daily Mail Australia. 'A total fire ban is in place for Victoria's south-West on Friday, which is expected to continue into the weekend.' The hottest March day on record for Melbourne was in 2016 when it hit 38.9C. 'While the maximum record is unlikely to be broken, there's a slight chance the minimum March temperature could go with two more hot nights to come,' Mr Michael told Daily Mail Australia. The statewide heatwave promoted Victoria Health to issue an alert for residents living in the state’s central region to take care. 'Heat can cause heat illness, including cramps and heat exhaustion which if left untreated can lead to life-threatening heatstroke,' the alert states. An extreme heatwave emergency warning is in place for South Australia, where authorities have warned residents to stay indoors, check on pets and elderly neighbours and to keep hydrated throughout the day. Melbourne's minimum March temperature record could be broken in the coming days. Pictured is Chelsea Beach on Friday 'Babies and young children, the elderly, pregnant women and those who are already unwell are especially at risk but, in an extreme heatwave, even healthy people who do not take action to keep cool can become very ill,' a SA State Emergency Service alert states. The SA Country Fire Service has fire weather warnings in place for the West Coast, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and Lower South East districts. In Tasmania, Hobart will also feel the heat with temperatures of 35 and 37 degrees forecast for Friday and Saturday. A total fire ban applies to all municipalities in the southern region will remain in place until at least Saturday. 'The conditions forecast for Friday and Saturday are equal to the worst we have seen this bushfire season. Any fires that start under these conditions will be fast-moving, dangerous and difficult to control,' Tasmania Fire Service posted on its Facebook page. Adelaide's Henley Beach (pictured) will be packed on Saturday with South Australia capital forecast to hit 40 degrees for a second consecutive day In other capital cities, Sydney will reach a top of 27 across the weekend with a chance of showers. There's also a possibility of rain forecast further north in Brisbane, which will reach highs of 29, while in the west, Perth will warm up over the weekend to 33 degrees on Sunday. In the Top End, Darwin will hit 33 on Saturday and a humid 34 on Sunday. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts autumn to be drier than average for much of northern and eastern Australia, with an average to later-than-average autumn break in the south. 'Temperatures are very likely to be above average across the country,' the bureau tweeted on Thursday. Families flocked to Chelsea Beach in Melbourne's south-east on Friday Weather forecast around Australia SYDNEY Friday: Min 20, Max 27, possible shower Saturday: Min 20, Max 27, possible shower Sunday: Min 19, Max 28, partly cloudy Monday: Min 19, Max 28, partly cloudy MELBOURNE Friday: Min 24, Max 37, sunny Saturday: Min 25, Max 36, sunny Sunday: Min 25, Max 33, possible storm Monday: Min 18, Max 25, partly cloudy BRISBANE Friday: Min 21, Max 30, shower or two Saturday: Min 21, Max 29, shower or two Sunday: Min 20, Max 30, shower or two Monday: Min 21, Max 30, shower or two CANBERRA Friday: Min 14, Max 30, mostly sunny Saturday: Min 14, Max 30, mostly sunny Sunday: Min 13, Max 32, sunny Monday: Min 15, Max 35, partly cloudy PERTH Friday: Min 17, Max 23, partly cloudy Saturday: Min 12, Max 27, sunny Sunday: Min 15, Max 33, sunny Monday: Min 20, Max 35, mostly sunny ADELAIDE Friday: Min 24, Max 40, very hot and sunny Saturday: Min 27, Max 40, very hot and mostly sunny Sunday: Min 21, Max 31, partly cloudy Monday: Min 17, Max 30, mostly sunny HOBART Friday: Min 16, Max 35, hot, partly cloudy Saturday: Min 20, Max 37, very hot and sunny Sunday: Min 19, Max 27, shower or two Monday: Min 14, Max 25, partly cloudy DARWIN Friday: Min 25, Max 33, shower or two, storm likely Saturday: Min 25, Max 32, shower or two, storm likely Sunday: Min 25, Max 33, shower or two, storm likely Monday: Min 25, Max 34, possible shower or storm Source: Bureau of Meteorology All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility