By Callum Godde

Many people have endured a sleepless night as a summer heatwave sets in across swathes of Australia’s southeast.

The mercury did not drop below 19C overnight in most parts of Melbourne and Sydney as the nation’s two biggest cities head for projected tops of 32C and 36C respectively on Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting severe to extreme heatwave conditions across southern and eastern parts of NSW and Victoria’s north leading into the weekend.

Maitland, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Wangaratta and Shepparton were all headed for expected maximum temperatures of 41C on Friday. Canberra is tipped to reach 37C.

Daytime maximums are predicted to be in the low-to-mid 30s across the coast of Queensland and southern Western Australia.

Tasmania will largely beat the heat, with cooler tops forecast for Hobart (18C) and Launceston (28C).

Conditions generally won’t be as sweltering as they were on Thursday, but it will be more humid as a low-pressure system sits over the country’s eastern top end.

The weather band was expected to draw afternoon and evening storms down to southern NSW, northern and eastern Victoria and eastern South Australia.

“For Melbourne, it’s going to be a taste of the tropics, very sticky,” senior meteorologist Sarah Scully said.

A total fire ban has been declared for Victoria’s western regions of the Mallee and Wimmera on Friday.

The threat of an out-of-control bushfire near Benalla in the state’s north has eased after an earlier emergency warning.

Residents of Broken Creek, Goomalibee, Goorambat were told on Thursday to leave immediately as the grassfire raged.

The warning has been downgraded to watch and act, with authorities advising the safest option was to stay close to a building where they could shelter.

A relief centre remains open at Benalla Town Hall on Friday.