Mega-storm batters Melbourne with marble-sized hail and torrential rain with five million people told to ‘stay INSIDE’
- Marble sized hail and torrential rain expect to smash Melbourne on Friday
- Central Victoria, capital set to be inundated, Bureau of Meteorology forecasts
- Up to 35mm on rain forecast in some parts, with ‘heavy falls’ a real possibility
Melbourne is currently getting battered by a mega storm, with marble sized hail and torrential rain in some parts.
More than five million Greater Melbourne residents have also been advised they ‘may’ want to stay indoors.
A severe thunderstorm warning is already in place for central and southwest parts of Victoria, including Geelong and Melbourne.
‘The atmosphere remains absolutely primed for further storm activity today as it feels once again very tropical and very humid over the southeast,’ said Sky News Weather meteorologist Alison Osborne.
Earlier on Friday in Victoria thousands of homes were without power as thunderstorms rolled through the state.
Melbourne is set to be battered by a mega storm on Friday afternoon, with marble sized hail and torrential rain forecast
More than five million Greater Melbourne residents have been advised to stay indoors
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that central Victoria, including Melbourne, and the state’s southwest will be inundated with heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail on Friday.
As much as 35mm of rain could fall on Melbourne on Friday, with The Bureau of Meteorology ominously stating ‘heavy falls’ are a real possibility.
The worst of the storms were expected to begin from midday and continue throughout the afternoon.
Almost 10,000 Victorians remained without power on Friday, after storms ripped through parts of the state on Thursday and into the evening.
A rain band seen on the Bureau of Meteorology’s radar on Friday morning. Central Victoria is set to be battered from about midday, the forecast says
There were 5695 AusNet customers, 3917 Powercor customers and 243 Jemena customers suffering blackouts at 9:30am on Friday morning.
Geelong, Cape Otway and the Surf Coast were battered by heavy rain on Thursday evening, with a renewed warning issued on Friday morning.
‘Strong storms have formed on the northern edge of a rain area in western Victoria in a very humid environment and are expected to produce heavy rainfall while moving in an easterly direction,’ the alert said.
‘Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Colac, Lake Bolac, Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh.’
State Emergency Service volunteers received more that 450 calls for help in the six hours to 10:30pm on Thursday, as severe storms caused flash flooding in metropolitan Geelong.
Lightning is seen in Melbourne’s night sky late on Thursday as the city endured a ‘once in a century’ weather event
The busiest SES units included South Barwon, Geelong and Sorrento, as homes, buildings and roads were flooded.
The storms come as disaster assistance was announced for Ballarat, East Gippsland, Moorabool and southwest Victorian residents after floods and storms on January 5.
The communities will receive financial support via the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding.
‘This financial support will provide for the immediate recovery needs for people whose homes or belongings have been impacted by the damaging winds, large hailstones and flash flooding in the central west,’ Federal Emergency Management Minister McKenzie said.
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