Golf ball-sized hail falls, power goes out as thunderstorms lash Victoria's northwest
Huge thunderstorms moving across Victoria have lashed the northwest of the state and are now moving east, after a steamy summer day.
Melbourne sweltered through a hot Monday night, before temperatures fell to 24 degrees at 12.38am, before hitting a maximum of 37.4 degrees just before 3.30pm on Tuesday.
But the cool change quickly hit the CBD an hour later, with the temperature dropping 12 degrees in just 10 minutes. During that period, temperatures dropped from 36 degrees to 29 in just three minutes.
The change triggered widespread showers and thunderstorm across the state.
By the afternoon, Mildura, in the state's far northwest, was hit by winds of nearly 90km/h and 10mm of rain in a short period of time.
Several buildings were damaged in the region, including a home at Merbein which reportedly lost its roof.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning - Melbourne Area for DESTRUCTIVE WINDS, HEAVY RAINFALL and LARGE HAILSTONES
Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Cranbourne and Pakenham by 8:30 pm.https://t.co/QAtthE0giu pic.twitter.com/ul9omZPv8U— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) December 19, 2017
Wild winds caused havoc in Wangaratta, northeast of the city, with fallen tree branches flying across the town's Main Street.
Over in the Macedon Ranges town of Lancefield, the SES received more than 100 calls for help through the afternoon.
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Out to the east, Mount Dandenong received almost 8mm of rainfall, while further south, Philip Island observed 2.2m.
As the cold front moved east, Laverton, west of the city, recorded a wind gust of 98km/h at 4.15pm and strong winds hit Bendigo at 6.30pm.
Residents in the state's south-east observed large hail, the size of golf balls, in suburbs including Doncaster, Mill Park, Mitcham and Narre Warren.
Large swathes of the state have also been hit by power outages.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns damaging winds, heavy rain and flash flooding may hit Bendigo, Shepparton, Seymour, Melbourne, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Traralgon and Bairnsdale.
On Tuesday night 7 News received reports of travellers stranded at Melbourne's airport with some flights grounded due to the inclement weather. Passengers are advised to check with their airline regarding delays.
⚠️ Stormy weather @Melair is having an affect on flights this evening. Passengers are advised to check with their airline. #flightdelay
— Brendan Grainger (@Highflyermel) December 19, 2017