Jan. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Melbourne, host city for the Australian Open tennis competition, is preparing for its longest heat wave in a century, which may push energy demand to records.

The Victorian state capital, Australia’s second-most populous city, may have four days of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) from today, said Blair Trewin, climatologist with the National Climate Center. That would be the longest stretch since 1908, he said.

A high pressure system over the Tasman sea is pushing northerly winds over southeastern Australia, causing extreme heat in Victoria and South Australia. The weather pattern is likely to increase demand for power to run air conditioners and coolers and has already forced some players to withdraw from the competition.

“The high pressure system is hardly predicted to move for several days and that’s definitely flowing through into a very prolonged period of extreme heat,” Trewin said by phone from Melbourne. “It’s certainly unusual.”

Melbourne reached 43.2 degrees Celsius as at 4:26 p.m. local time, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Web site. The city may reach 43 degrees Celsius tomorrow and 40 degrees the following two days, forecaster Trewin said.

45.7 Degrees

Train tracks in Melbourne buckled because of the heat, causing cancellations and delays, the Age newspaper said, citing transport operator Connex. At least 58 train services had been scrapped, it said. Thoroughbred Racing SA canceled a scheduled horse racing event today at Gawler, South Australia, because of the heat, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

In South Australia, the state capital Adelaide reached 45.7 degrees at 3:31 p.m. local time. Temperatures are predicted to be above 40 degrees through to Saturday, Trewin said.

Both states banned all fires in most parts today as temperatures soar.

“The heat wave also posed a serious fire risk for the state,” Victorian Premier John Brumby said in an e-mailed statement yesterday after being briefed by emergency services and agencies. “This week’s heat wave is longer and hotter than nearly all Victorians have experienced in a lifetime.”

Demand for energy is expected to reach record levels, Brumby said. Recent figures suggest there will be adequate electricity supply to meet demand, he said.

Wholesale electricity prices in South Australia surged to A$2,484 a megawatt-hour in the half-hour ended 1:30 p.m. today as demand rose to 3,268 megawatts, according to data from the National Electricity Market Management Co. That was almost 10 times the price of an hour earlier.

To contact the reporter on this story: Madelene Pearson in Melbourne on mpearson1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 28, 2009 01:31 EST