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03-12-2021
Bureau Report
MELBOURNE: Victoria has been hit by severe thunderstorms for the second afternoon in a row after Victorians were warned to brace for a high risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma.
An enormous shelf cloud smothered Melbourne on the second day of summer as storms moved in from the west of the state.
The storms brought hail, ferocious winds and lightning and dumped rain right across central Victoria.
Point Cook and Geelong were hit with the beginning of the late afternoon front, with Geelong backyards littered with large hailstones.
Strong wind gusts reached up to 100km/h in Frankston and up to 96 km/h in Redesdale according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Earlier in the day respiratory specialist Professor Mike Roberts warned people there was a high risk of people experiencing asthma symptoms or difficulty breathing due to the combination of thunderstorm activity and high grass pollen levels.
A moderate risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma was issued for the Mallee, North Central, North East, Northern Country, South West, West and South Gippsland and Wimmera weather districts.
Victorians were advised to avoid the wind gusts before the storm by staying inside and closing windows and doors.
Asthma suffers were advised to carry medication with them at all times.
The wild weather comes after a summer storm lashed the city yesterday, sending down large hailstones and flooding roads.
Thousands of properties were left without power last night, while at least two flights were diverted from Melbourne Airport.
The majority of the state’s power outages occurred in Pakenham, in Melbourne’s south-east, where more than 3000 homes were left in darkness.
Nearly 900 people were without power in Leongatha in South Gippsland and 700 people in Greensborough in the city’s north-east also suffered blackouts.
There were about 300 calls for assistance to the SES, with most relating to building damage, flooding and fallen trees.
Large hailstones battered Geelong yesterday, while heavy rainfall pelted across Melbourne.
Melbourne roads were buried beneath floodwaters, with firefighters called to remove two cars trapped in deep water on York Street in South Melbourne.
The worst-hit suburbs ravaged by the storm included Sunbury, Essendon and Maribyrnong in the city’s west.
