Melburnians were struck by strong thunderstorms on Tuesday afternoon, with bursts of rain falling at almost a millimetre a minute in some parts of Melbourne as emergency warnings advised people to take shelter indoors and watch for flash flooding.
Bureau of Meteorology reported that some areas had received exceptionally heavy falls in a short space of time, including 32.2mm at Gisborne in one hour and 38.4mm at Spring Hill in about 75 minutes.
Daniel Hayes, a senior forecaster with the bureau told ABC Radio Melbourne, “We have seen a few places come close to that one millimetre per minute.”
Vic Emergency has issued emergency warnings for parts of Melbourne’s north and east and for areas around Warburton, with very dangerous thunderstorms predicted to cause life threatening flash flooding as storm systems moved south and south east.
The State Emergency Service has warned that floodwater can rise quickly in drains, creeks and low lying roads.
SES reported that it had been inundated with calls for assistance, mainly for roof damage and local flooding.
Thousands of homes were also left without power during the height of the storm, with outages reported throughout the inner suburbs and the west and northern areas of the city as restoration work continued.
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Commuters reported flooded underpasses and roads as the downpours moved through, while Melbourne Airport was also impacted by heavy rain and low visibility, with some flights delayed and at least one diverted.
Forecasters indicated that the danger was not limited to Melbourne, with severe weather warnings in place for much of central and eastern Victoria.
Six hourly rainfall totals of 30 to 60mm were possible, with isolated totals of 70mm about the ranges before conditions were expected to ease on Wednesday morning.
