SES spokeswoman Natalie Stanway said while the extent of the storm activity was highly unpredictable – and could bypass Bendigo altogether – the unit was scaling up its response in preparation for the worst.

“We just don’t know what’s going to come through, from everything we’re hearing Adelaide’s experiencing some weather that is quite intense for them, some very heavy rain at the moment, and that does typically flow into Victoria,” she said.

“At the same time it’s not unusual for the front to actually separate around Bendigo and skip us altogether and then come back together on the other side.

“We are likely to get rain overnight tonight, that’s forecast at the moment to be in the 15 to 20 millimetre range, possibly up to 30 millimetres and if we get the thunderstorm tomorrow – and that’s still a big if – then we could be looking at maybe up to 50 millimetres.”

Ms Stanway said while the rainfall could result in flooding in some areas of central Victoria, the primary concern for Bendigo residents was around falling tree branches.

“Because everything’s already so wet, any more rain is going to really destabilise trees and trees are going to be the concern,” she said.

“People need to take care where they park, where they walk and reconsider outdoor activities in really heavily treed areas just for the next few days.”

Ms Stanway said local SES crews were preparing to dispatch to areas across central Victoria that may be affected by heavy rains up until Sunday.