CLIMATE change continued to burn this week with temperatures soaring to record highs in Victoria.

Melbourne equalled its hottest ever night and its hottest night for more than a century on Monday night.

While bushfires were the main worry, however most were contained.

The mercury topped 42 degrees celsius at Albury in southern NSW, accompanied by a mere nine per cent humidity and westerly winds gusting up to 56km/h, Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman Ben Shepherd explained.

Those conditions definitely took the area “into that catastrophic area of risk,” Mr Shepherd told AAP.

Finally relief came on Tuesday night after two days of soaring temperatures.

The next week in Victoria has been forecast with an average of 24 degrees.

Many were predicting a possible Black Saturday again over the weekend as it was Victoria’s first test since last year’s tragedy.