By Lachlan Abbott and Benjamin Preiss
Thunderstorms have brought an end to the glorious sunshine in Victoria over the Easter long weekend, breaking an extended period of dry weather and dispelling smoke haze that smothered Melbourne for days.
Lightning forced players off the ground at the MCG during the clash between Hawthorn and Geelong and fans were told to seek shelter at three-quarter time.
The weather bureau had forecast flash flooding for Melbourne, but that had yet to eventuate by early evening on Monday.Credit: Tom McKendrick
The wet weather is set to continue into Tuesday with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall and damaging winds for much of central Victoria.
The Wimmera and parts of the Mallee, south-west Victoria, northern country and north-central Victoria were forecast to receive heavy rain.
Earlier on Monday afternoon, Bet Bet Creek in western Victoria recorded 20.4 mm of rain in 30 minutes from around 3pm.
In Stawell, wild weather temporarily halted the prestigious running carnival with the men’s and women’s gift finals still to be run. Tokyo Olympic star Peter Bol almost pulled off a remarkable comeback to win the 1000-metre race amid the driving rain.
The AFL match between Geelong and Hawthorn at the MCG was delayed for 40 minutes due to lightening.Credit: Justin McManus
A strengthening cold front triggered thunderstorms in western Victoria on Monday morning, weather bureau meteorologist Stephanie Miles said.
The bureau had forecast flash flooding for Melbourne, but that had yet to eventuate by early evening on Monday.
“Flash flooding is definitely a possibility with this heavy rainfall,” she said. “However, we’re not really expecting any riverine flooding with this one.”
Bendigo, Seymour, Maryborough, Ballarat, Geelong and Melbourne were among the communities in the warning zone, which extends from close to Stawell in the west to Falls Creek in the east.
“Six-hourly rainfall totals between 30 and 50 millimetres are likely, with isolated falls of 70 millimetres possible,” the weather bureau alert read.
Peak wind gusts of about 90km/h were possible in the central and northeastern ranges from Monday evening.
The weather bureau said the smoke haze that blanketed Melbourne over the Easter weekend was expected to clear on Monday night or Tuesday when the cold front moved over the city.
The smoke, mostly from planned burns in Melbourne’s outer east, hung over much of the city since Good Friday, and the Environment Protection Authority predicted Melbourne’s air quality would be poor until late on Monday.
The haze reduced the visibility for those at the MCG watching the AFL match between Richmond and Sydney on Sunday afternoon.
In the south-west Victorian town of Colac, Jason Schram said the region had received steady rain, although they were bracing for more to come. He said there was heavy traffic through the town on Monday morning with holidaymakers returning early to Melbourne to beat the downpour.
“It’s probably the most traffic I’ve seen coming home on an Easter weekend,” he said. “It’s great for the regions that people are travelling, but not the best weather to be driving home in.”
Schram, who works in weed control in the agriculture sector, said the wet weather would be welcome on local beef and dairy farms. “Everyone around is desperate for a bit of rain, so it’s a relief.”
Storm clouds gather over Port Philip Bay at St Kilda ahead of heavy rain.Credit: Justin McManus
On the coast, Apollo Bay resident Bob Knowles said there had been some intermittent bursts of heavy rain. “We’re not inundated yet,” he said.
At Noojee in West Gippsland, Little Red Duck Cafe manager Crystal Petschack said heavy rain began falling about 4.30pm on Monday, bringing an end to an extended period of dry weather.
“Our water tanks have been almost empty,” she said. “We’ve been pretty excited to hear it was going to rain today.”
Although the rain meant trade would probably be slow at the cafe, Petschack said the week after the Easter weekend was typically quiet anyway.