Source : the age
By Lachlan Abbott
A wild storm caused flash flooding, lightning strikes and power outages in Melbourne on Sunday, while also disrupting the first day of the Australian Open.
Several cars were caught in floodwaters and some train services were cancelled after a band of heavy rainfall crossed from western Victoria over the city about midday.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the gauge at Olympic Park recorded 24.6 millimetres in the 30 minutes to 12.45pm.
The bureau eventually issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 12.25pm for the Greater Melbourne area and parts of West and South Gippsland.
“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding, damaging winds and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours,” the alert said.
Two cars were caught in flash flooding under the Dudley Street bridge in West Melbourne shortly before 1pm.
In a Facebook post, the State Emergency Service Port Phillip unit said flooding had occurred near Elwood Canal and under the York Street Bridge in South Melbourne, partially submerging a Toyota Corolla.
“As always, be aware of local conditions and DO NOT drive through floodwater – the depth of a pen is enough to float a car!”
Major roads in Southbank were also drenched, causing flash flooding in City Road, Clarendon Street and the Kings Way entry off the West Gate Freeway.
Public Transport Victoria reported major delays on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines due to a train fault and “weather-related issues” near Toorak. An equipment fault near Montmorency caused Metro Trains to suspend services on the Hurstbridge line about 1pm.
An updated weather bureau alert at 2.07pm adjusted the thunderstorm warning zone to cover much of the High Country and Gippsland.
Tennis fans scrambled for cover after play was suspended on the outside courts at Melbourne Park. The roof was closed at Rod Laver Arena, allowing play to continue inside after a short delay.
In Geelong, another storm cell caused dozens of lightning strikes on Sunday morning, according to Weatherzone’s radar.
Thousands of Victorians suffered unplanned power outages as the wild weather wreaked havoc.
In Melbourne’s north-west, Jemena reported four active power outages affecting 4029 customers early on Sunday afternoon, including one in Moonee Ponds and another in Attwood near Melbourne Airport. At 2.21pm, about 3000 households remained without electricity.
In Melbourne’s south-east, United Energy reported 1467 customers without power, including one outage in Mount Eliza and another in Nunawading. Parts of Chadstone are also without power.
In western Victoria and central Melbourne, Powercor reported 2118 unplanned customers off supply at 12.40pm, but this fell to 879 at 2.15pm.
In eastern Victoria, AusNet reported about 1000 customers without power shortly after 2pm.
The weather bureau forecast a top of 27 degrees in Melbourne on Sunday and said up to 20 millimetres of rain was possible.
Possibly severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, large hail and heavy falls were predicted about the nearby hills in the afternoon and evening.
