Hundreds of homes remain without power on Thursday morning after a storm front pushed through the state on Wednesday.

About 75 customers in Harcourt and Harcourt North are without power, according to Powercor's website. Power should be restored to properties by noon on Thursday.

Dozens of other customers are without power in Lockwood South, Arnold West, Axedale, Maiden Gully, California Gully, Jackass Flat, Carisbrook, and Kyneton.

More than 600 customers are also without power around Kerang.

Powercor said power should be restored to those properties before 1.30pm on Thursday.

10pm

PART of the Dunolly-Eddington Road is closed after a fallen branch was caught by tree limbs.

The road will be closed until an arborist can remove the branch on Thursday.

The closure is one kilometre west of Scenic Road.

It follows storms which hit central Victoria on Wednesday afternoon

Read more: Bendigo experiences driest year since 2002

Bendigo's temperature dropped seven degrees within 10 minutes as the storm hit. After half an hour it had dropped 12 degrees.

At 3.58pm it was 32.6 degrees at Bendigo Airport, by 4pm, 27, by 4.04pm 25.4, by 4.30 20.4.

An initial fall of 1.6 millimetres was followed by later rain, bringing the total to 7.8 millimetres by 9pm.

The city is forecast to hit 26 degrees on Thursday, with a low chance of rain.

Temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend, until another possible storm on Sunday.

A storm is also forecast for Monday, bringing a possible 10-25 millimetres of rain.

Wednesday's falls brought January's rainfall total to higher than the month's 2019 total, which was 7.6 millimetres.

The rainfall also exceeded December's total of 3.8 millimetres.

It was the heaviest fall in Bendigo since the beginning of November, when 13.8 millimetres fell.

In 2019 Bendigo recorded its lowest rainfall since 2002.

5.30pm

POWER is out to more than 16,000 Powercor customers across Victoria, most in central Victoria.

Customers near Bendigo, Dunolly, Wedderburn, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Axedale, Wycheproof, Elmore, Eppalock and Pyramid Hill have all been affected.

Power is expected to be restored to most homes between 1am and 2am.

5.20pm

Drivers have been warned to slow down and take care in wet weather after thunderstorms hit central Victoria.

The Department of Transport has encouraged drivers to leave extra space between themselves and the car in front, as braking distance increases in wet weather.

Drivers should avoid floodwater and use their headlights.

The Department of Transport said if rain becomes to heavy for windscreen wipers, drivers should pull over and wait for the rain to pass.

Some areas can be affected by flash flooding. In this case drivers, pedestrians and cyclists should find an alternative route.

4.50pm:

STATE Emergency Service are responding to 17 incidents relating to trees in the Loddon Mallee.

Firefighters have marked the Averys Road in Junortoun safe.

4.40pm:

The CFA is responding to one suspected lightning strike in Jackass Flat.

Firefighters are inspecting reports of a strike in Averys Road.

Four trucks are responding to reports of smoke sited in Junortoun.

Firefighters are also responding to a tree fire at Genalbyn, southeast of Wedderburn.

1.6 millimetres of rainfall fell on Bendigo between 4 and 4.30pm.

4.30pm:

Firefighters are responding to multiple reports of fires coinciding with an electrical storm over Bendigo.

Reports of falling trees are also coming in but it remains unclear how many have been caused by the storm, Emergency Management Victoria says

4.13pm:

HUNDREDS of homes in central Victoria are without electricity after a storm hit the region.

More than 270 customers in Eaglehawk, 185 in Woodvale, 144 in California Gully, 103 in Sailors Gully are suffering from outages.

Some homes in Strathdale, Campbells Forest, Jackass Flat and Myers Flat are also affected.

Castlemaine customers may also be without power.

OTHER NEWS:

Rain, thunder and lightning hit Bendigo shortly after 4pm.

Outages stretch north as far as the Murray River.

Bridgewater on Loddon, Bridgewater, Bridgewater North and Yarraberb, Woodstock on Loddon are also without power.

Septentine, Bears Lagoon, Powlett Plains, Salsbury, Jarklin, and Inglewood have all been affected.

Most outages are expected to be fixed by 8.30pm.

Earlier:

Severe thunderstorms are expected to hit central Victoria on Wednesday afternoon, likely bringing damaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hailstones.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for an area that encompasses Bendigo, Echuca, Maryborough, Castlemaine and Kyneton.

Bendigo and Maryborough are specifically listed as locations that might be affected.

The Bureau warns that heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding.

The State Emergency Service advises that people should:

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