WET & WILD WEATHER
POWERFUL waves struck parts of the Surf Coast on Sunday as the region shivered through one of its coldest days this year, which also delivered rain and strong gusty winds.
The region saw large swells on Sunday, drawing big crowds to Bells Beach and Torquay keen to catch a glimpse of the wild seas at the popular surfing spots.
Further down the coast, near Point Campbell, waves reached up to 9m.
Photos posted online by the Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre showed huge waves hitting the cliffs from the Mutton Bird Island lookout.
The mercury dropped to 6.9C on Sunday morning in Aireys Inlet and 7.2C in Geelong, with winds hitting peaks of 76km/h and 56/km/h respectively.
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Ilana Cherny said due to the windy conditions it felt “a lot cooler than it was” with the apparent temperature dropping to 1.8C.
“On Saturday we saw a cold front pass through Victoria — probably with the coldest air mass behind it that we’ve seen so far this year — with that we have a seen a decrease in temperature,” she said.
The mercury is expected to remain in the low 20Cs during the week, with a few possible showers.
Ms Cherny said residents should expect more cooler temperatures than some of the warmer weather the region has experienced in recent weeks.
“There is definitely a bit more of an autumn or winter feel this week,” she said.
The turn of weather came just two days after Geelong sweltered through a 30C maximum on Thursday.
But Ms Cherny said the extreme changes were not a rare occurrence for this time of year.
“It may feel like a bit of a shock to the system, but it’s just autumn. Being that transition season, we often see these fluctuations,” she said.
Meanwhile, low-level snow and frost across parts of regional Victoria has brought an early taste of winter.
Ski resorts at Lake Mountain and Hotham hailed the first snowfall of the season, with Mt Baw Baw measuring 13cm of snow.