Wild weather strikes south eastern Australia, as winter returns with a bang
A huge cold front began to hit south east Australia this evening, as temperatures in Melbourne incredibly plummeted from 18C to 7.7C in a matter of just a few minutes.
The strongest cold front of the winter will send Australia's weather haywire with wild weather being predicted for much of the south east tonight.
Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania - where one person was killled - are bracing for battering winds and dangerous conditions as severe weather warnings are issued.
Even New South Wales, which today basked in its hottest July day for more than a quarter of a century, will see conditions take a drastic turn this evening.
People shelter from the rain as they cross the road from Federation Square in Melbourne. Photo: Getty
Wild winds batter Victoria
A shop roof has been blown off and strung up in powerlines in regional Victoria as increasingly severe winds hit the state.
The winds intensified on Thursday afternoon as a cold front moved across Victoria, knocking out power in a number of places.
Calls to the SES doubled in a couple of hours, and more than 1300 calls were received by about 3pm.
SES state commander Tim Wiebusch said more calls for help were expected after people returned home from work and inspected their properties.
"The strongest winds are expected between now and early this evening and we're then advised by the (weather) bureau we can expect winds to start to moderate, but they will still remain strong into this evening so the risk has certainly not passed us yet," he told ABC TV on Thursday afternoon.
"The worst-hit areas have largely been around the metropolitan bayside suburbs and outer-eastern suburbs, and also South Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley, where we've seen wind gusts in excess of 110km/h."
A large tree crushes part of a house at Mirboo North in Gippsland, Victoria. Photo: 7News
A shop roof was blown off at Newborough in the Latrobe Valley and was hanging from nearby powerlines.
A home in nearby Mirboo North suffered significant damage when a large tree fell into a room, a SES spokeswoman said.
Further east, horse races at Sale were cancelled because of safety fears, with the starting barriers straining on an angle against the strong winds.
Several cars were crushed at a Coles supermarket car park in Bayswater, Victoria, when a tree came down. Photo: Twitter (@LaurelIrving7)
Suburban Melbourne has also been hit by the winds. Several vehicles were crushed when a large tree came down in a supermarket car park at Bayswater, and roof debris has been cleared off a road at Clayton.
Energy company SP AusNet says power outages are being experienced in a number of places.
Fallen debris closed several major roads across the Gippsland region.
Strong winds have sent a trampoline flying onto a neightbour's roof in Victoria. Photo: 7News
No injuries have been reported.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts winds of about 130km/h to 140km/h above alpine areas and between 90km/h to 110km/h for lower parts of the state, including the metropolitan area.
Colder temperatures will persist into the weekend and snow is forecast for 500 metres above sea level on Friday.
Storm clouds roll in across the bay at Brighton beach, Victoria. Photo: Supplied
Tasmania
A person has died after being hit by a falling tree in high winds in Launceston.
The person died as a result of injuries sustained when a tree fell about 12.30pm on Thursday, police said.
No further details were available.
Wild weather is lashing Tasmania, with communities in the state's north facing flooding danger and the south enduring a major blackout.
About 15,000 homes across Tasmania are without power, headlined by 1350 Burnie customers in the state's north west, and 1200 in the Deloraine and Mole Creek area.
But TasNetworks says that after widespread power outages in the south of the island many homes have had power restored.
The damaging winds and heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding will continue to hit the state until Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Wind gusts up to 115km/h have been recorded in Devonport, King Island and Smithton, in the north.
SES crews tended to dislodged roofs and fallen trees at properties between Latrobe and Circular Head.
SES regional manager Wayne Richards urged Tasmanians to take care when outdoors in the extreme conditions, with the risk of airborne missiles and falling trees.
He also urged residents hit hard by the storm to be patient, with the SES facing a steady stream of callouts from 7am.
"Emergency services and council resources are extremely busy dealing with the effects of the wind and rain and people should be patient when requesting assistance," he said.
A trampoline escapes its owner's backyard in high winds at Frankston in Victoria. Photo: Supplied
A flight carrying Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey was unable to land in Launceston because of the weather and was diverted to Hobart.
Mr Abbott and Mr Hockey instead participated in the Tasmanian Economic Council meeting via teleconference.
Train lines across the north west and west coast have also been affected by the wild weather.
TasRail has suspended train services on the Melba Line and west of Western Junction, while its other services are being monitored.
Tas Rail chief executive Damien White said storm debris and falling trees made derailments or collisions a genuine risk.
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Sky turns black as storm clouds move in across Port Phillip Bay, St Kilda, Victoria. Photo: Supplied
South Australia
A severe weather warning has been issued for Adelaide and the southeast coast of South Australia.
A strong front with damaging winds is expected to hit the Adelaide metropolitan area around midday on Thursday before spreading to the Mid North and Riverland regions in the afternoon.
Winds with gusts up to 110km/h are moving through the Mount Lofty Ranges in the Adelaide Hills and are forecast to extend throughout the warning area later on Thursday ahead of the front.
Locations which may be affected include Mount Barker, Victor Harbor, Kingscote, Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Port Lincoln, Maitland, Clare and Keith.
A second front with squally showers, small hail and thunder is due to move across the southeast of the state early on Friday.
A gigantic wave slams into the harbour on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula. Photo: Getty
NSW
Meanwhile, Sydney is experiencing its warmest July day in almost a quarter of a century, with temperatures reaching 25C across the city.
Sydney has topped 25C just five times in the past 150 years, and today the city recorded it's warmest July day for 24 years.
However, authorities are warning of winds just short of cyclonic for south-east NSW on Thursday with the Snowy Mountains set for a battering.
Maximum gusts of 100km/h are forecast for parts of Illawarra, South Coast, Central and Southern Tablelands and the Australian Capital Territory.
Those in the mountains will be hit on Thursday afternoon with winds averaging about 70km/h and damaging gusts up to 130km/h.
