3 weeks ago
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Victoria is set to be hit by a weather system unlike anything the state has seen in years, with wild winds forecast to reach 115km/h.
Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch warned residents they should expect power outages and loose furniture to become “missiles”, as the “very significant” front crossed the state through Friday afternoon and evening.
Wild winds are expected to hit Victoria from Friday evening through to Saturday morning. Credit: Paul Jeffers
“The wind speeds that we’re going to expect, we have not seen this year and, in fact, this is a weather system we’ve not seen for a couple of years now,” Wiebusch told reporters.
“We’re likely to see winds in excess of 100 km/h in many parts of our state, and the peak winds could be up around 115km/h.”
Authorities issued five “watch and act” warnings on Friday, stretching from Victoria’s south-west coast, across metropolitan Melbourne and through the Bass Coast.
The vigorous cold front was expected to roll onto the south-west coast, near Portland and Warrnambool, about 6pm or 7pm on Friday, before moving through the Grampians.
It was set to reach Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula by about 10pm on Friday.
From about 11pm, the front is forecast to move across Bayside suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula, before stretching into the Dandenong Ranges, Macedon Ranges and the Central Ranges, Wiebusch said. The front is forecast to reach the Bass Coast in the early hours of Saturday.
“These wind speeds will bring destruction,” Wiebusch said. “These wind speeds are likely to impact our power systems, so we are alerting all Victorians – make sure that you are prepared now.”
Melbourne Airport may have to delay flights landing, but there are few flights scheduled when the weather system is expected to hit, Wiebusch said.
Thunderstorms and potentially gusty showers would move ahead of the cold front, the bureau warned.
Victorians should stay clear of fallen power lines, Wiebusch said.
He warned residents of heavily treed areas – including the Grampians, Dandenong ranges, Macedon ranges and Central Ranges – should avoid unnecessary travel on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Fallen trees had already trapped people inside several cars across Victoria by Friday afternoon. Mount Hotham had recorded a top wind speed of 113km/h by 3pm, while Mount Buller recorded 100km/h and Horsham hit 94km/h.
The State Emergency Service fielded almost 80 calls for help between midday Thursday and 2pm Friday. By Friday afternoon, the service was “starting to see those numbers grow”, assistant chief officer Mark Cattell said.
Snow was expected to fall as low as 600 metres in Victoria’s alpine areas, which could produce blizzard conditions, the bureau said.
The blizzard conditions would continue to make the police search for alleged double murder Dezi Freeman in Victoria’s High Country “very difficult”, Wiebusch said.
Conditions were expected to start easing across Victoria from Saturday.
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