BENDIGO, Australia: As a wild thunderstorm moves through the state, thousands of Victorian homes could face a night without power.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday afternoon for areas including Bendigo, Maryborough, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Ballarat, Bellarine Peninsula, and greater Melbourne. The alert predicts damaging winds, large hailstones, and heavy rainfall, with thunderstorm cells expected to move southeast, potentially causing flash flooding in the coming hour
⚠️The Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Victoria has been updated: https://t.co/HLs2UYFQyQ Wangaratta recorded a wind gust of 104km/h at 1635 AEDT⚠️
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) January 2, 2024
“Park your car undercover and away from trees,” the BoM cautioned.
“Stay inside if conditions outside appear dangerous.”
Severe storm damage in central and western Victoria has left approximately 24,000 power customers disconnected from the grid due to fallen trees and network disruptions. Powercor, responsible for supplying electricity to 1.2 million homes and businesses in Victoria, reported a substantial impact from lightning strikes, prompting their teams to address over 200 faults in the system.
A spokesperson from Powercor highlighted Ballarat and its surrounding communities as the most severely affected, with around 13,000 customers currently experiencing power outages. The statement also noted additional impacted areas such as Castlemaine, Bendigo, Hamilton, Ararat, Horsham, Maryborough, and certain western suburbs of Melbourne.
“Our crews will continue to work to have power restored throughout the afternoon and evening, but given the volume of faults and the damage sustained, some customers will be without power overnight.”
The Craigieburn line between Broadmeadows and Craigieburn is undergoing a switch to buses due to equipment issues caused by a lightning strike. Metro Trains cautioned that replacement buses may require up to an hour for arrival, though services from Flinders St to Broadmeadows remain unaffected, operating as usual.
