Melbourne has been lashed by wild winter weather, with severe warnings for damaging winds and dangerous conditions around the bay, causing significant traffic chaos and flooding across the city.
First Major Winter Hit
The city's first major hit of winter brought rain and wind gusts of almost 80 km/h, with the city recording 13 mm of rainfall and Ballarat copping 27 mm. The severe weather caused widespread flooding across Melbourne's streets, with some drivers pushing their luck through fast-moving floodwaters.
"I like it. Were you scared? A little bit," one van driver said after pushing his Toyota's amphibious skills to the limit.
Forecast and Impacts
Forecasters had warned Melbourne could receive half a month of rain in a single day, with the feels-like temperature staying below 10 degrees all morning. "We have so many layers of clothes. We needed them," one resident said.
While the city shivered, alpine regions celebrated the wintry blast, with Mount Hotham receiving 15 cm of snow and another 15 cm on the way, and Mount Buller recording even thicker falls. "I'm sorry to everyone in Melbourne, but we are dancing up here. 25 cm of fresh snow today," Mt Buller's Rhylla Morgan said, as the ski season is set to start this weekend.
Severe Weather Moves West
The worst of the weather bypassed the city centre, moving west, but did not spare Warrnambool, where the ocean whipped up the shoreline and the Jelly Brand River burst its banks. In South Melbourne, the SES was called in to rescue drivers stranded in flash flooding, with Dudley Street underwater by 5:30 pm after being dry at midday.
"It's very windy and it's very cold and the weather is crazy," one local said. The flooding was so severe that Ponyfish Island was forced to close. "If you're thinking about coming down, sadly, don't. We are currently underwater."
Rescue Operations and Traffic Chaos
A rescue operation was underway after one driver rolled the dice on fast-moving floodwaters in South Melbourne. Some drivers chose to turn around, others made it through, but not all were successful. Flooding affected numerous streets across Melbourne, including Gladstone Street and Dudley Street, causing significant traffic chaos during the evening commute.
The SES has received more than 100 callouts so far, with most for trees down. The busiest units have been around Ballarat and Warrnambool.
Meteorologist's Update
Meteorologist Jane Bunn said the rain arrived later than expected but delivered up to 25 mm so far, with the most in Viewbank. Bayside suburbs are likely to be the final bullseye with potential for 30, 40, possibly 50 mm. "These suburbs are around the bay, at risk of damaging gusts over the next few hours," Bunn said, adding that conditions are looking up heading into the long weekend.
