Yahoo!7 & agencies Australia’s east hit by wild weather Wind, high temperatures and storms have hit Australia’s eastern and central states, with firefighters on high alert and SES inundated with calls.
Fire danger, wind warning in NSW
In NSW, firefighters are on high alert as Sydney, the Hunter Region and the South Coast are hit by high winds.
Crews have been battling fires since 8.50am this morning.
Meanwhile, residents across New South Wales and the ACT are being told to prepare for wild damaging winds as a cold front moves across the region.
The SES on Thursday morning issued a warning for damaging winds averaging up to 80km/h and gusting to 120km/h in the Alpine peaks, with blizzard conditions expected in the Snowy Mountains above 1300 metres.
The SES is urging residents to tie down loose outdoor items and move vehicles inside and away from trees.
Storms blast Victoria with cold, wet weather
Stormy overnight weather has triggered more than 100 calls for help across Melbourne, with trees uprooted, train stations flooded and power cut in some suburbs.
The SES had 133 requests for help, more than half from the greater metropolitan area for trees blown onto roads and minor building damage.
At Essendon, in Melbourne’s north, a subway was flooded but cleared by about 7am (AEST) on Thursday while commuters faced big delays on some other rail lines.
A metal sheet blown off a building was found near the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Peter Newham says storms affected most of the state, with the heaviest rainfalls southeast of Melbourne.
The highest recording was 46mm at Upper Lang Lang in south Gippsland.
Totals of between 20 and 40mm also fell across the Melbourne area overnight, with the city area recording 31.4mm.
- Get your latest weather forecast for Victoria
Beach boxes hit by strong surf at Mt Martha Beach. Photo: 7News
Record temperatures in Queensland
There is little sign of relief from the record-breaking heatwave in outback Queensland.
Yesterday temperatures in a handful of towns reached unprecedented temperatures for the month of September.
Charleville, in the north of the state, reached 39 degrees – its hottest in 85 years.
Rick Threlfall from the Bureau of Meteorology told Fairfax today could see even more records tumble.
“More records could be broken today. We’re expecting 40 degrees in Roma and 34 degrees in Toowoomba,” he said.
“Fortunately, it will be a bit cooler in Charleville with a maximum of 38 degrees.”
Brisbane, while not as hot as some other areas, is also not being spred from the heat, predicted to go well into the 30s by the afternoon.
- Current conditions in Qld
Cleanup continues in SA
The cleanup is continuing across South Australia after strong winds whipped the state overnight.
Trees and powerlines were brought down right across the metropolitan area by gusts of up to 100kph, cutting power to around 8000 homes and businesses.
Electricity was even cut to the Channel 7 antenna at Mt Lofty, forcing a back-up generator to kick in to keep the station on air.
The falling trees caused havoc in many areas, including at on Waterfull Gully Rd in the eastern suburbs where wind brought down trees and a stobie pole, blocking the road.
A large limb from a gum tree fell onto a home on Taylors Ave at Morphett Vale, needing the State Emergency Service (SES) to come and remove it.
- Current temperature in Adelaide
On Seventh Ave at St Peters, a Mini Cooper still was not small enough to escape the damage, with a large branch falling onto its roof in the driveway of a property.
