City hit by strong winds, hail - The Age

Train services on the Lilydale line between Ringwood and Lilydale suspendedafter a tree fell on the tracks. Photo: Twitter/Metro

Gusty winds nearing 100km/h have struck Melbourne for the second day in a row, downing trees and disrupting train services on the Lilydale line.

The city and some suburbs were also hammered by rain and hailstorms during Thursday afternoon.

"Yesterday we had wind gusts around 80km/h. Today we've seen gusts in the 90s," Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Richard Carlyon said.

"It's been a tad stronger today, especially when showers have moved through. It's been more squally today, a bit more up and down."

The strong winds would taper off beginning about 4pm, said Mr Carlyon.

The top gusts have been 98km/h at South Channel Island at the southern end of Port Phillip Bay, 96km/h at St Kilda and 95km/h at Melbourne Airport.

However, the winds had not caused major damage. "There seems to be a fine line between 90km/h and 100km/h where the damage tends to escalate," he said.

Coastal areas throughout the state have also experienced strong gusts, with Cape Otway recording 80km/h.

Mr Carlyon said the Bureau had received about 10 reports of hailstorms throughout Melbourne, in suburbs including Cheltenham, Melton, Williamstown and Altona.

The hailstorms accompanied small showers hitting the metropolitan area which were causing between 1 and 5 millimetres of rain, he said.

Drivers were warned to expect delays on the Monash Freeway near High Street, Glen Iris, with a tree branch blocking the two left-hand lanes inbound, VicRoads said.

A spokeswoman for the State Emergency Service said there had been 165 calls for assistance in the Melbourne area since midnight, a figure she described as "nothing drastic". Most were for fallen trees.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade tweeted they were attending calls for trees and powerlines down across Melbourne.

"Stay safe on the roads - there's some wild weather out there," the MFB said.

Train services on the Lilydale line between Ringwood and Lilydale have been suspended until further notice after a tree fell on the track. Buses are providing a replacement service, beginning at Ringwood.

The fallen tree had damaged overhead wires, according to a tweet from Metro. "We'll keep you updated about our progress removing the tree and the overhead power line repairs. But it could extend into PM peak."

Thursday's top temperature is expected to be 16, with 2-5 millimetres of rain. Friday will be fine, with a top of 21. Saturday will also be fine with a top of 27.