One woman has died, riverbanks are breaking, hundreds of properties have been damaged and 100,000 residents have been left without power as violent weather batters three states.
The extreme weather, which began on Sunday night, left a 63-year-old woman dead after a tree hit a cabin at a holiday park in Moama, on the border between New South Wales and Victoria.
More than 120,000 Victorians were left without power and 660 homes damaged after a night of strong winds, with some schools and nurseries forced to close.
Victoria’s State Emergency Service received 2,800 calls for help between 7pm on Sunday and 10am on Monday, including 1,350 related to fallen trees. Warragul, Moe and Emerald are the worst affected areas.
First Minister Jacinta Allan thanked emergency workers for supporting her community in difficult conditions.
“They worked through the night and continue to work through the day – thank you for your incredibly selfless work during these difficult times,” he said Monday.
State emergency services have warned against unnecessary travel after winds toppled trees and power lines across the state, reaching speeds of 146km/h in Wilsons Promontory National Park.
Gusts exceeding 100km/h were also recorded in Melbourne’s suburbs, including 113km/h in St Kilda.
One woman has died and thousands of properties have been left without power as severe weather hits three states. A tree topples a house in Craigieburn, Victoria. Photo: Facebook
A garage in the Melbourne suburb of Melton was also damaged by the severe weather. Photo: Facebook
Major delays are expected across Victoria’s public transport system with debris affecting numerous train and tram lines.
A severe weather warning is still in place in parts of Victoria and residents are urged to prepare for another storm front expected to hit on Monday night.
Chief meteorologist Christie Johnson said wild weather had already hit New South Wales but the strongest winds were yet to come.
“The strongest winds are expected in New South Wales this morning with the potential for damaging winds extending from the Victorian border into the Hunter district,” Johnson said on Monday.
Dozens of flights out of Sydney airport have been cancelled and only one runway is operational as strong winds batter the city.
“Due to strong winds, Airservices Australia is operating our east-west runway, which may cause some delays during the day,” a Sydney Airport spokeswoman said on Monday.
‘We encourage passengers to check with their airline about the status of their flight.’
On Wednesday, SES crews in New South Wales had to attend almost 1300 incidents. Photo: NSW SES
Qantas has cancelled at least 25 flights departing from Sydney airport, including 10 to Melbourne, four to Canberra and 11 to other Australian destinations.
Virgin Australia also cancelled 13 flights from Sydney, eight to Melbourne and three to Canberra.
Jetstar has cancelled three flights from Sydney to Melbourne, along with seven additional departures from Sydney.
Two Rex Airline flights from Sydney have been cancelled.
Tasmania was also hit by severe weather on Sunday, with significant damage to trees, property, power lines and infrastructure.
Peak wind gusts overnight reached 157 km/h at King Island Airport and 130 km/h at Launceston Airport.
The River Derwent below Meadowbank Dam is likely to exceed the main flood level of 7.3 metres on Monday, while emergency services are warning residents in White Hills, near Launceston, to remain vigilant for the next 12 hours.
TasNetworks said there were around 10,000 customers without power and emergency services were expected to provide an update on Monday afternoon.