As a cold front moves across Australia, strong thunderstorms with hail the size of golf balls are hitting the country’s south-east. They’re also bringing the possibility of tornadoes.
People in Bellarine Peninsula and Geelong were urged to prepare for severe storms that could cause “life-threatening” flash flooding.
Thunderstorms and flash flooding were expected in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, such as the airport.
A senior forecaster from the Bureau of Meteorology said the storms would affect areas in Tasmania and New South Wales.
⚠️ A VERY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM with intense rainfall that may lead to LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODING is crossing #Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING is current with multiple storms across #Melbourne.
Full details: https://t.co/pfSMWdEmUh pic.twitter.com/aXKQIrxXVP
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) October 18, 2024
He said that strong winds, heavy rainfall, and large hail were expected to hit various areas, including Melbourne.
In Melbourne, the city’s inner suburb of Elsternwick received 26mm of rain within 30 minutes of noon on Friday, while Frankston experienced 35mm of rainfall in just two hours.
According to Hines, the rain was being caused by a low-pressure system and a cold front that’s moving across the country’s south-east. He noted that large hailstones had been reported in various areas over the past couple of days.
In Victoria, the state’s weather agency warned that severe storms could bring powerful winds, hail, and heavy rainfall.
#Thunderstorms were rumbling across 6 Australian states on Thursday morning following a barrage of nighttime #lightning that produced more than 200,000 strikes across the country. ⚡️ And there's more to come. https://t.co/r6JLFVXtDW pic.twitter.com/paiRFqOe0w
— Weatherzone (@weatherzone) October 17, 2024
A spokesperson for the State Control Centre said that since 6 pm on Thursday, the agency had received about 254 requests for assistance.
Most of these were for building damage and flooding. Frankston was the busiest call center, with 45 requests in just two hours.
The agency warned that the storms could produce tornadoes in the state’s upper north-east. More than 3,000 homes and businesses were affected by power outages in western Victoria.
In the east of the state, AusNet Services was able to restore electricity to some of its customers.
More than 1,600 customers in western NSW were without power after the powerful storms destroyed several transmission towers.
In Victoria, State Emergency Service officer Shane McBride urged people to avoid traveling. He said it was important for people to think about their travel plans before they head out.
Several thunderstorm warnings were issued for large parts of NSW, Victoria, and the ACT on Friday afternoon.
According to Hines, the storms could generate winds of up to 125 kilometers per hour. Giant hail of up to 5 centimeters was also possible in some areas, such as the Alpine regions.
The storms were most likely to affect areas in NSW and Victoria’s north-east and central slopes. These storms could generate wind gusts of up to 125 kilometers per hour.
The MotoGP race at Phillip Island was delayed by rain, and the session was canceled on Friday.