Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Australia’s southern city of Melbourne, the nation’s second-most populous, may have a record heat wave this week as Tiger Woods prepares to play his first golf tournament in the country in more than a decade.

Temperatures in Melbourne are likely to be 10-12 degrees Celsius above the November average for seven days in a row, Shoni Maguire, climatologist with the National Climate Centre, said from Melbourne. The city may have its longest stretch of November days above 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) since records began in 1855 should temperatures exceed the forecast for 29 degrees on Nov. 12 and 13, he said.

“It’s hot as hell,” Woods told a news conference today at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne’s southeast, after playing nine holes to prepare for his first tournament in the country since 1998. Woods, 33, will play in the Australian Masters, which begins in two days at Kingston Heath. Britney Spears, 27, is scheduled to perform three concerts in the southern Australian city in coming days.

“We are experiencing a weather pattern at the moment that’s more likely to occur in summer,” forecaster Maguire said. “It is extremely unusual to see persistent heat this widespread and this early in the season.” Summer officially starts Dec. 1 in Australia.

Melbourne’s temperature is forecast to reach 34 degrees Celsius today, 31 tomorrow and 29 the following two days, before rising to 35 degrees the day after, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Web site. The city experienced 35.5 degrees yesterday and 34.2 degrees the day before, according to Weatherzone, a Web site.

Adelaide Heat Wave

Adelaide in South Australia state is heading for its first ever spring heat wave, with the possibility of a seven-day stretch above 35 degrees Celsius, Maguire said.

There is a severe fire danger in South Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology said on its Web site. A total fire ban has been imposed for parts of the state and fires burning in these conditions may be fast-moving and uncontrollable, it said.

The Country Fire Authority in Victoria imposed fire restrictions on parts of the region. Victoria is one of the most wildfire-prone areas in the world, according to the state’s Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board.

Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. Record temperatures and gales earlier this year drove firestorms in the southeastern state of Victoria that left 173 people dead.

Wildfires

This year’s wildfire season could be as bad or worse than last season, Victoria’s Premier John Brumby said Oct. 28. The state is still recovering from the “Black Saturday” fires that swept through towns on Feb. 7, destroying more than 2,000 properties.

“We are ready to respond and with the hot weather we have already been busy responding to a few fires,” a Country Fire Authority spokeswoman said today.

A controlled burn on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, jumped control lines yesterday and is yet to be brought under control, the Age reported on its Web site today. The fire has burned about 13 hectares (32 acres) of bush land, it said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Madelene Pearson in Melbourne on mpearson1@bloomberg.net; Rebecca Keenan in Melbourne at rkeenan5@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 9, 2009 21:54 EST