Destructive storms pass through Melbourne with extreme fire danger in north-west
Heavy clouds blanketing the sky over farmland near Donald in north-west Victoria. (Supplied: Vickie Flier)
In short:
Authorities warned Victorians to be on high alert for destructive weather, with storms, heavy winds and hail forecast across the state.
Wild, stormy weather and large hailstones hit Victoria's north and north-east on Sunday morning, sweeping across the state into the evening.
An extreme fire-danger warning remained in place for north-western parts of the state as well as a Total Fire Ban for the Mallee district.
Wild weather has swept across Victoria, with damaging winds and hail reported on Sunday.
One home in Shepparton in Victoria's north was pelted with large hailstones on Sunday morning, while parts of north-east Victoria experienced heavy rain overnight.
Large hailstones pelted this home in Shepparton early on Sunday morning. (Supplied)
Strong winds and heavy rainfall spread across the state, while an extreme fire warning remained in place for the Mallee region in Victoria's north-west.
The State Control Centre (SCC) urged communities in the north and north-east to remain on alert for volatile weather as a low-pressure system built across the state.
"This includes communities such as Mildura, Swan Hill, Euroa, Shepparton, Mansfield, Wangaratta, Corryong and Albury-Wodonga," the SCC said.
Heavy bursts of rain have been recorded on the Hume Highway near Euroa. (ABC News: Peter Healy)
"In these areas, very heavy rain and damaging or destructive winds are possible. Tornadoes may also occur."
Almost 60 millimetres of rain was recorded in the north-western towns of Marysville and Jamieson over six hours.
A severe thunderstorm warning was cancelled for the Melbourne area after severe storms moved east of the Greater Melbourne area on Sunday afternoon.
It remained in place for parts of Northern and Eastern Victoria, including Wodonga, Wangaratta, Corryong, Bright, Falls Creek, Euroa, Mansfield, Mt Hotham and Mt Buller throughout the late afternoon and early evening.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned of damaging winds, heavy rainfall, large hailstones and flash flooding in those areas.
The BOM also urged road users to reduce speed, maintain a greater distance between vehicles and use headlights as slippery roads and reduced visibility caused dangerous driving conditions.
On Sunday morning, forecaster Lincoln Trainor encouraged Victorians to stay across warnings and weather alerts.
"It is a big storm day widespread across Victoria … becoming severe in the afternoon across the north," he said.
"We don't have many of these … from about 1pm we're going to see damaging to destructive winds, possible large hail and intense rainfall."
Storms are expected to sweep across Victoria on Sunday afternoon. (ABC News: Charlie Mills)
Wind speeds reached 115km/h at Mount Buller at 5pm on Sunday and 102km/h in Falls Creek.
A Total Fire Ban remained in place for the Mallee district until midnight on Sunday, while a high fire-danger rating was in place in the Northern and Wimmera districts.
An advice warning has been issued for a bushfire in Wyperfeld National Park in the state's north-west, where firefighters are building containment lines.
The alert covers Wyperfeld National Park, Patchewollock, Yaapeet and Hopetoun.
There is no threat to communities. However, authorities are urging people to stay informed and monitor conditions.
The SCC has reminded Victorians to take care on the roads, as wet conditions, fallen trees, debris and downed powerlines could make driving dangerous.
"If you're in the north-west, you need a fire plan. And if you're in the north-east, you need a storm plan," SES state agency commander Alistair Drayton said.
"Stay informed today, especially if you're driving. Remember to never drive through floodwater — it could be the last decision you make."
"If you are in an isolated area in the Mallee district, consider travelling to a city or larger town for the day as it is a much safer place to be on extreme fire danger days."
Large hailstones damage home in Shepparton
Julia Selwood-Tweedie said a "crazy storm" passed through the regional Victorian town just before 6am on Sunday.
"It didn't last long but was very intense," she said.
"The front-porch cover suffered. I think we'll need a new one."
Hailstones pierced this porch shelter of a Shepparton home on Sunday. (Source: supplied)
More than 29mm of rain has been recorded in Shepparton by 11am on Sunday, with winds gusting up to 43km/h, according to the BOM.
"The hail was unusual in shape, not round but very jagged," Ms Selwood-Tweedie said.
In Victoria's west, Vicki Flier was driving home to Casterton from regional New South Wales on Sunday morning when she was caught in a downpour near Donald.
It was a nerve-wracking moment for Ms Flier — her shop was damaged when a freak hailstorm hit western Victoria last October.
"As it went overhead, bang, it just came down. We had trouble seeing where we were going," Ms Flier said.
Storm clouds over Ballarat late on Sunday morning. (Supplied: Ballaarat Facebook)
Ms Flier was holidaying in NSW while her store underwent repairs from last year's storm.
She said it felt like reliving the ordeal all over again.
"We had a lot of damage in the whole town back in October," she said.
"We've still got two hours of travel to go, back home they're forecasting 20mm there, so I'm assuming there's more that we're about to drive into."
Alpine region on alert
Emma Hinchcliffe, who manages holiday properties throughout Victoria's Alpine region, said the wild weather had already arrived.
"It's been raining very heavily [with] lots of thunder and lightning through the night, but it's starting to slow up now," she said.
"We just make sure that everything comes inside in weather like this."
She said guests had been given extra time to check out during the storm on Sunday morning.
"So they can wait till the rain subsides, and our housekeepers held off for an extra hour as well," she said.
"It's pretty typical this time of year for us to get storms … we're kind of used to it."