IT was impossible to miss – a massive streak of cloud crossed central Victoria on Saturday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
So what exactly was it?
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Peter Newham said Bendigo residents would have seen the leading edge of a line of showers and storms, creating a stack of shelf clouds.
“This was a good example of shelf clouds,” he said.
“A wind change from west to south-westerly made them more pronounced.
“Because the sky was so clear immediately ahead of it, it made the clouds even clearer and created a spectacular scene in the sky.
“The whole system extended from southern Victoria right up to Bendigo.”
Mr Newham said thick clouds usually surrounded weather systems, meaning people on the ground do not get to see the distinct shelf clouds.
But Saturday’s event was a relatively rare series of weather conditions that allowed for the shelf clouds to be clearly visible.
It dumped moderate rainfall in Bendigo and elsewhere in central Victoria. Towns directly under the weather system experienced the greatest rainfall.
There is unlikely to be much rain in Bendigo in Sunday, but strong winds will buffer most of the state, particularly in coastal areas.
Mr Newham said winds could reach relatively high speeds in central Victoria throughout Sunday, and cool weather will arrive tomorrow dropping the maximum temperature in Bendigo below 20.