Melbourne suffered flash flooding as powerful winds, hail and driving rain disrupted transport and activities in the city, including the annual Australian Open tennis tournament.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded almost 25 mm (about 1 inch) of rain in half an hour in Melbourne city just after midday. By evening the immediate threat of severe thunderstorms had passed, the agency said, adding it will continue to monitor the situation.
The state’s emergency services received almost 200 calls for assistance across Melbourne on Sunday, with people seeking help with flooding, fallen trees and building damage, a spokesperson said by phone.
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At least two major roads remained closed early in the evening due to flooding in inner Melbourne, with train delays in some areas in the city’s southeast.
The rain sent spectators at the Australian Open scampering for cover, and caused the rescheduling and cancellation of matches, according to news.com.au.
Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines spoke to 9news.com.au about the severity of the rainfall in a short period of time.
“Hitting that amount of rain in 24 hours perhaps not so unusual – but hitting that amount of rain in half an hour with a storm overhead doesn’t happen in Melbourne all that often. Those are numbers we typically see up in the tropics.When we see thunderstorms, in summer in particular, they can bring those very sharp bursts of heavy rainfall like we saw today, and that can very quickly lead to flooding responses,” Hines said.