Update, 8.15am
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The Bureau of Meteorology warns that the dangerous thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Greensborough and Ringwood.
These thunderstorms are moving towards the east, away from central Victoria.
Other news:
It comes as the Department of Transport said Melbourne-bound Bendigo V/Line services would be delayed due to several signal faults caused by the storm.
Passengers taking public transport are encouraged to check for services impacted by the weather before travelling.
Extra care should be taken on platforms and when boarding and getting off public transport, as surfaces can become slippery.
Update, 7.30am
Dangerous severe thunderstorms appear to be moving southeast, past Gisborne and Macedon.
A more general severe thunderstorm warning is also current for the Central and parts of the North Central and West and South Gippsland districts.
More news:
The Bureau of Meteorology warns that at 7:05 am, severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Craigieburn, Footscray, Greensborough, Melton, Preston, St Albans and Sunbury.
These thunderstorms are moving towards the southeast.
They are forecast to affect Caulfield, Glen Waverley, Melbourne City, Ringwood and Werribee by 7:35 am and Dandenong, Frankston and Pakenham by 8:05 am.
Heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is likely.
The next warning is due to be issued by 8:10 am.
Thursday, 6am
A VERY humid, unstable airmass will support continued thunderstorm activity through parts of central Victoria.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that at 6:10 am, very dangerous thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Gisborne and Woodend.
More news:
These thunderstorms are moving towards the south to southeast.
Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Bacchus Marsh, Melton and Sydenham by 6:40 am and Deer Park, Footscray and Laverton by 7:10 am.
Other severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Craigieburn, Sunbury and Flowerdale.
They are forecast to affect Greensborough, Melbourne Airport and St Albans by 6:40 am and Caulfield, Melbourne City, Preston and Ringwood by 7:10 am.
Intense rainfall that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is likely.
Overnight, Malmsbury Headwall recorded 56.2mm in the 60 minutes to 5:15am, Springhill-Tylden Road recorded 23mm in 30 minutes to 5:45am and Trentham Reservoir recorded 38.6mm in 60 minutes to 6:00am.
The State Emergency Service advises that people should:
- If driving conditions are dangerous, safely pull over away from trees, drains, low-lying areas and floodwater. Avoid travel if possible.
- Stay safe by avoiding dangerous hazards, such as floodwater, mud, debris, damaged roads and fallen trees.
- Be aware - heat, fire or recent storms may make trees unstable and more likely to fall when it's windy or wet.
- Check that loose items, such as outdoor settings, umbrellas and trampolines are safely secured. Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
- Stay indoors and away from windows.
- If outdoors, move to a safe place indoors. Stay away from trees, drains, gutters, creeks and waterways.
- Stay away from fallen powerlines - always assume they are live.
- Stay informed: Monitor weather warnings, forecasts and river levels at the Bureau of Meteorology website, and warnings through VicEmergency website/app/hotline.
The next warning is due to be issued by 7:20 am.
Power appears to have been restored to many homes across Greater Bendigo overnight.
Wednesday, 6.10pm
Hundreds of homes in Bendigo and further north are without power as storms sweep through the region.
Many of the outages are thought to have originated from a fault linked to Prouses Road, North Bendigo, according to Powercor.
A total of 21 homes in north Bendigo are without power, 145 in California Gully, and 278 in Eaglehawk.
Lightning continues to flash across Bendigo's skies as the stormfront rolls through.
Homes further north have been affected by Prouses Road power cuts in an area stretching from Campbells Forest in the south to Jarkin in the north, and Elmore in the east to Wedderburn in the west.
More than 300 people around Bridgewater are also impacted.
Thousands of people in the Maryborough area have also lost power, though it is not clear what the source of that fault is.
5.05pm
Firefighters have quickly brought the Raywood fire under control and one vehicle remains on scene after as many as four were called to the scene.
Thick clouds have rolled over Bendigo and very light rain has fallen in some areas and thunder has been heard rumbling.
4.37pm
A new fire is understood to have erupted at Raywood as as storms lash the region.
Firefighters are being paged to the scene north of Bendigo as short time ago.
It comes as seven fire crews bring a grass and scrub fire at Timor West under control as storms lash the state.
It is one of four small blazes that are now under control. All broke out within a space of roughly 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon.
They included flames near Natte Yallock where one firefighting appliance is on scene and in Barkly where four are there.
A slew of fires have been reported in the area in the past 30 minutes.
4.25pm
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Bendigo and the surrounding areas on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a very humid, unstable airmass will support continued thunderstorm activity in the afternoon and an approaching upper trough will support thunderstorms into the evening.
The warning said the storms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and damaging winds in the warning area over the next several hours.
The warning has been extended beyond the previously reported Mallee, Wimmera, north and central areas to include Bendigo and Maryborough.
Firefighters are also battling bushfires west of Bendigo as storms strike near Dunolly.
It is unclear what has triggered the fires at this stage but the Bureau of Meteorology has been forecasting lightning in the area.
Firefighters are responding to reports of several blazes in the area around Natte Yallock including on Avoca-Bealiba Road and Slater Road, according to VicEmergency.
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Another one has been reported in Stewarts Road, further west in Barkly, and there are reports of another eastwards at Timor West.
Firefighters are yet to independently confirm some reported blazes in the area in the rapidly unfolding situation.
The State Emergency Service advises that throughout the storms, people should:
- If driving conditions are dangerous, safely pull over away from trees, drains, low-lying areas and floodwater. Avoid travel if possible.
- Stay safe by avoiding dangerous hazards, such as floodwater, mud, debris, damaged roads and fallen trees.
- Be aware - heat, fire or recent storms may make trees unstable and more likely to fall when it's windy or wet.
- Check that loose items, such as outdoor settings, umbrellas and trampolines are safely secured. Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
- Stay indoors and away from windows.
- If outdoors, move to a safe place indoors. Stay away from trees, drains, gutters, creeks and waterways.
- Stay away from fallen powerlines - always assume they are live.* Be aware that in fire affected areas, rainfall run-off into waterways may contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks.
- Heavy rainfall may also increase the potential for landslides and debris across roads.
- Stay informed: Monitor weather warnings, forecasts and river levels at the Bureau of Meteorology website, and warnings through VicEmergency website/app/hotline.
The next warning is due to be issued by 7.05 pm.
Earlier
A severe weather warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for severe thunderstorms across much of Victoria.
BOM are asking residents to keep up-to-date with warnings issued from the website and to keep an eye on the radar.
Thunderstorms are most likely from mid-afternoon until early evening but may persist overnight, particularly through western and central areas.
Bendigo is expected to reach a high of 36 degrees, it will be a sunny morning with a high chance of showers during this afternoon and evening.
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