Thousands of home are without power and the SES has responded to more than 1000 calls for help after wild winds battered Melbourne overnight.
St Kilda was lashed by 120km/h winds at 12.30am, while gusts reached 117km/h at Essendon and 115km/h at Laverton.
A severe weather warning remains in place for most of Victoria with gusts of up to 130km/h forecast.
About 3200 properties in Northcote remain without power, as well as 1500 in the Brunswick area, 500 in Camberwell, 1300 in Surrey Hills and 1600 in Hawthorn.
There are several reports of fallen powerlines and trees are strewn across roads in most of the state.
Dozens of traffic lights have also been affected.
The SES expects to be kept busy this morning as people wake to more damage.
Dave Goldfinch, of the SES, told 3AW Breakfast that commuters should take extra care.
"There's a lot of debris on roads that could become unexpected hazards," he said.
The winds have also flared a number of major fires.
More than 80 CFA firefighters battled a blaze at a timber yard near Geelong after embers were blown into woodpiles.
Fire raced through the roof of an historic building at the Cape Schank lighthouse. Tourists inside the cottage managed to escape unharmed.
And another fire has destroyed a house in Robin Close at Doveton.
Firefighters say the occupant had hoarded a large amount of material inside, making the fire very difficult to contain.
The winds have caused havoc on the state's rail system. On the Lilydale and Pakenham lines, there are several cancellations of city-bound services, causing major delays.
No comments:
Post a Comment