MELBOURNE — Severe thunderstorms lashed Melbourne and large parts of central Victoria on Tuesday, cutting power to thousands of properties, flooding key roads and triggering hundreds of emergency call-outs as intense rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems.
Emergency warnings were issued mid-afternoon for a broad corridor stretching from Sunbury in Melbourne’s north-west through St Albans, Coburg and Preston to the CBD, before shifting east toward Doncaster, Greensborough, Dandenong, Berwick and areas near Pakenham. Radar later showed storm cells continuing to track south-east.
Rainfall Rates Trigger Flash Flood Concerns
The primary risk, authorities said, was not just accumulated rainfall but the speed at which it fell. At Spring Hill, north-west of Melbourne, nearly 40 millimetres was recorded in just over an hour. Inner Melbourne suburbs including Southbank saw more than 12 millimetres fall in a short burst.
Forecasters warned that intense rainfall rates — in some locations approaching 1 millimetre per minute — significantly increase the risk of flash flooding, particularly in built-up urban environments where runoff flows rapidly into drains, underpasses and low-lying roads.
The Bureau of Meteorology said heavy rain was expected to persist into the evening across eastern parts of the state before gradually easing as the system moved toward Gippsland.
Emergency Services Respond to Widespread Damage
The State Control Centre confirmed around 220 SES call-outs by late afternoon, with volunteers responding to incidents across Heidelberg, Craigieburn, Fawkner, Gisborne and Knox.
Reported damage included water entering properties through compromised roofing, rising ground-level runoff pushing into doorways, and fallen trees blocking roads. Officials noted highly uneven rainfall totals across regions, with some towns receiving substantial downpours while nearby areas recorded minimal precipitation.
The weather system also affected parts of north-west Victoria, where additional storm cells developed, bringing heavy rainfall to Swan Hill, Kerang, Birchip and surrounding districts.
Power Outages Peak at 7,000 Properties
Electricity networks were impacted as lightning and strong winds struck infrastructure across metropolitan Melbourne. Approximately 7,000 homes and businesses were without power at around 3pm.
By 6pm, utilities had restored supply to more than half of affected customers. In Sunshine North, roughly 890 customers lost power following a lightning strike on a utility pole. Northern suburbs including Northcote and Thornbury saw outages affecting more than 1,700 customers combined.
Energy providers said crews had been pre-positioned in anticipation of the storm system and were working to restore services as conditions allowed.
Transport Disruption as Roads Flood
Flooding was reported at several transport pinch points, including outbound lanes at a railway underpass near Dandenong Road and Caulfield Road, as well as sections of Canterbury Road near Bayswater North.
Drivers in some areas described rainfall totals exceeding what had fallen since the start of the year in under half an hour, while others only kilometres away reported clear skies — underscoring the localized intensity typical of thunderstorm-driven events.
Secondary Risks in Fire-Affected Areas
Authorities warned that rainfall across bushfire-affected catchments may mobilize ash, soil and debris into waterways, increasing the potential for blocked drains, localized landslides and water contamination.
Officials urged residents to avoid floodwaters, remain indoors during severe activity and monitor official warnings as storm cells continued to move across the state.
For updated weather warnings and radar imagery, refer to the Bureau of Meteorology.
