High winds down trees, cuts power
South-Eastern Australia has been lashed with strong winds and gusts of up to 115km/h.
Customers go without electricity in SA
About 20,000 customers were without electricity and the State Emergency Service has received almost 400 calls for help in South Australia.
Sustained northerly winds of up to 65 km/h with gusts reaching 110 km/h preceded a cold front which arrived in Adelaide about 2pm (CDT) on Monday and was expected to clear the state's southeast by midnight.
State Emergency Service duty officer Ian Bonython said about 375 calls for help were received by 7.30pm.
Most calls were for trees falling onto roads and property but there were no reports of significant damage.
Areas hardest hit included metropolitan Adelaide and the Adelaide hills. The SES started receiving calls for help about 11am, peaking between 1pm and 3pm.
SA Power Networks spokesman Paul Roberts said that 20,000 customers lost electricity, with most in Adelaide's northeast and in the Mount Lofty Ranges.
By Monday evening this dropped to 2000 customers and most homes were expected to have power returned overnight.
"We have doubled our available number of (repair) crews. We have focused on being prepared and we will have additional crews out in the metropolitan area and right across the state," he told AAP.
The organisers of the popular three-day Asiafest food and cultural festival in Adelaide have announced on Twitter that the final day of events has been cancelled because of the severe weather.
Strong winds damage homes in Victoria
Victorians can expect calmer conditions after strong winds lashed the state, damaging homes and trees.
The State Emergency Service recorded 78 calls for help overnight, mainly for minor damage to homes and fallen trees in the greater metropolitan Melbourne area.
A severe weather warning has been cancelled for the north east, west, South Gippsland and East Gippsland regions as conditions ease on Tuesday.
The strongest wind gust of 115km/h was recorded at Mt Hotham on Monday at around 7pm.
St Kilda recorded gusts of 95km/h, the highest in the metropolitan area.
Calmer conditions are expected on Tuesday as winds ease.
"The winds have moderated," Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Scott Williams told AAP.
"It eased pretty rapidly after midnight in all areas except right on the coastal fringe.
"Today we're going to continue to see moderation. So far as the severe weather event is concerned, it's over and we're looking for calmer conditions ahead."
A gale warning remains in place for the Gippsland coast.
Melbourne is forecast to reach a top of 18 with scattered showers in the morning and early afternoon.
Morning news break - October 7
