Melbourne has been lashed with massive 110km/h winds that brought down trees, delayed train services and left more than 40,000 homes without power.
The strong cold front caused chaos as it moved across Victoria on Wednesday morning, as other parts of the nation woke up to total fire bans due to scorching temperatures.
Victoria State Emergency Service received almost 400 calls for assistance during the morning, as massive gusts brought down powerlines, while trees fell onto roads and rail tracks.
The wild weather also left an 18-year-old boy in serious condition after a tree fell on him in Hastings, 60kms south of Melbourne, 9 News reported.
Melbourne has been lashed with massive 110km/h winds that brought down trees and delayed train services on Wednesday morning
The massive wind gusts across Victoria left more than 40,000 homes without power
The strong cold front caused chaos as it moved across the state on Wednesday morning
Meanwhile, train services were delayed by an hour and others replaced entirely by buses after trees fell across rail lines.
Trains between Clifton Hill and Parliament, in Melbourne’s city centre, were suspended after a tree damaged overhead wires near Jolimont, in the inner-east, about 9am.
Up to 400 people were left stranded on a train at Jolimont station, and were forced to walk along the tracks to safety, Herald Sun reported.
Metro Trains said they expected buses to be in operation between Clifton Hill and Parliament for more than three hours.
The Pakenham line was also shut down for an hour due to a fallen tree between Narre Warren and Hallam, while the Cranbourne, Hurstbridge and Sandringham lines also experienced delays.
Train services were delayed by an hour and others replaced entirely by buses after trees fell across rail lines
Up to 400 people were left stranded on a train (pictured) at Jolimont station, and were forced to walk along the tracks to safety
The Nepean Highway – a major route between Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula – was expected to be closed in both directions around Frankston South for several hours after asbestos sheeting blew onto the road, 9 News reported.
The highest gust recorded during the morning by BOM was 109km/h at St Kilda, in Melbourne’s south-east.
Power was restored to 38,000 homes by midday, while crews worked into the afternoon to restore power to another 3,800.
Extreme conditions led to a severe weather warning for southern and eastern parts of Victoria being issued by the Bureau of Meteorology
People were urged to stay clear of power lines, secure loose items around the house and to move vehicles away from trees
Extreme conditions led to a severe weather warning for southern and eastern parts of Victoria being issued by the Bureau of Meteorology.
People were urged to stay clear of power lines, secure loose items around the house and to move vehicles away from trees.
The warning extended to north and west Tasmania, which experienced the same damaging winds on Wednesday.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Glen Perrin said snow could fall in the far south of the state during the afternoon, according to Mercury.