Shelter warning as epic storm hits Wimmera

Residents from Horsham to Donald were warned on Wednesday night to urgently take shelter as a storm of epic proportions hit parts of the Wimmera.

Horsham is in the eye of the storm. Picture: Facebook

Residents from Horsham to Donald were warned on Wednesday night to urgently take shelter as a storm of epic proportions hit parts of the Wimmera.

Torrential rain, hail and high winds hit the region, causing sky lights to smash, roofs to collapse and water to gush in through light fixtures.

A shelter alert was announced for parts of the Wimmera, including the townships of Horsham, Donald and Minyip.

A photo taken by a local woman and uploaded to Facebook shows the storm moving in. Picture: Facebook/Rachel Hateley

Wild weather lashed the small town of Casterton. Picture: Vic Emergency App

The small town of Casterton experienced the brunt of the storm, with 22mm of rain falling in 10 minutes and hail the size of golf balls falling on properties.

A spokesperson for the SES said Casterton, which has a population of less than 2000, took a beating over several hours.

“VICSES has received 70 calls for emergency assistance in Casterton between 5.30pm and 8.00pm on Wednesday evening following a localised severe thunderstorm with large hailstones and heavy rainfall,” it said.

Picture: SES Hamilton

The take shelter now area as shown on the Vic Emergency Map. Picture: Emergency Victoria

“Fifty-three calls for assistance related to building damage and the other 17 were due to the impacts of flash flooding.”

The storm has moved inland and is now threatening more towns.

The SES said there is likely more wild weather to come in the next few days.

“The thunderstorm risk will remain present over coming days and particularly on Friday,” it said.

“Damaging winds, large hail and heavy rainfall are possible on Friday, particularly through central and eastern parts of Victoria.”

Originally published as Shelter warning as epic storm hits Wimmera