SYDNEY, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Battered by a mixture of hot, dry, and windy weather, Victoria has experienced yet another "catastrophic" fire rating in February, only 15 days after the worst scenario befell this second-most populous state of Australia.

On Wednesday, residents in the Wimmera Region again stayed on high alert for catastrophic fire danger, while warnings were also issued over extreme threats in the Central, Mallee, North Central, Northern Country, and South West districts.

The majority of Victoria, excluding the North East, East Gippsland, and West and South Gippsland regions, saw a total fire ban in force, which means that no fire could be lit from 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. local time.

Data from Australian weather service provider Weatherzone showed that at 1:00 p.m. local time, temperatures already hit 40 degrees Celsius at Swan Hill in the state's northwest and above 35 degrees Celsius at Cape Nelson in the southwest.

Fire danger ratings reached "extreme" levels in parts of southwest Victoria before midday. Shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time, the Fire Behaviour Index tipped over 100 at Hamilton, Casterton, and Kanangulk, representing catastrophic fire danger.

After high clouds contributed to mild weather on Wednesday morning, Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Jason Heffernan noted that the cloud system deteriorated across the western parts of the state, with temperatures soaring and winds developing rapidly.

"Forty-one degrees Celsius at Walpeup, 40 degrees Celsius at Swan Hill, 39 degrees Celsius at Nhill and they're currently experiencing winds of about 60 to 70 kilometers an hour," said Heffernan.

"We're currently seeing catastrophic conditions in Casterton, Hamilton, and Kanagulk in the Wimmera Weather District. Westmere is currently sitting at 99. So that is at the very top end of extreme," he added.

During the day, an out-of-control grassfire triggered emergency warnings for Dereel, Rokewood Junction. A "Watch and Act" alert was also declared for households living near Ararat and Ballarat, as the bushfire at Bayindeen-Rocky Road continued to rage and made it unsafe to return.

Since it began on Thursday, the Bayindeen-Rocky Road blaze has grown more than 21,000 hectares in size with the fire perimeter extending to 173 kilometers around it.

David Bowman, professor of pyrogeography and fire science at the University of Tasmania, pointed out that it has destroyed six homes and killed livestock, while more than 30,000 people in high-risk areas between Ballarat and Ararat had reportedly been told to leave their homes.

"Late February, when many Australians probably thought the worst of the bushfire season was over. Climate change is bringing not just more frequent and severe fires, but longer fire seasons. That means we must stay on heightened alert for much longer than in the past," Bowman wrote in an article published by the media network The Conversation.

Earlier, Victoria was confronted with catastrophic fire danger on Feb. 13. The condition, in Heffernan's words, represented "the worst fire risk day Victoria has experienced since the 2019-20 fire season." Enditem

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