Wild weather hits Melbourne, Sydney after damaging storm

More than 17,000 homes were without power on Sunday night as a vicious storm lashed Melbourne, Geelong and other parts of Victoria. Hundreds of trees were felled and power lines were downed as fierce winds, rain and even snow came down on what was a chilly Sunday night. Melbourne is bracing for flash flooding and forecasters have issued a severe weather warning across swathes of Victoria. At least 10 people had to be rescued from floodwaters by the State Emergency Services (SESs)yesterday morning. Sydneysiders also experienced their fair share of extreme weather after 1000 homes were left without power when a thunderstorm rolled through the city’s west. Following the storm, Sydneysiders woke up to the coldest morning of 2017, at just 12 degrees, and the Central Tablelands have had a severe weather warning put in place for the rest of the day.

There was chaos on the rails yesterday, with thousands of commuters in Melbourne and surrounding areas facing delays.

SES Victoria CHief Officer Trevor White told “People out on the roads this morning should take extreme care. Be aware that there will be debris on the roads. If it’s flooded, turn back. Do not enter flooded roads, it’s extremely dangerous.”

The SES had 470 requests for help on Sunday, with the majority coming after a series of heavy fronts moved across the state from the west.

The weather bureau warned of severe winds in Falls Creek, Kyneton, Ballarat, and the Traralgon and Bairnsdale areas. Ballarat copped the worst of it overnight, with high winds and heavy rain buffeting the Victorian city.