There is a severe weather warning for south-east Australia today, with damaging wind gusts of up to 100km/h forecast in multiple states.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned a “vigorous cold front” is expected to bring damaging winds, widespread showers and hail.
There are severe weather warnings for parts of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT.
A wind speed of 94km/h was recorded at 8.49pm yesterday at Nowra on the NSW South Coast and similarly damaging gusts are likely for parts of the Snowy Mountains and southern parts of the ACT over coming hours.
In eastern Victoria, a 139km/h wind gust was recorded at Wilsons Prom Lighthouse at 4.17am today, the bureau said.
The state’s Gippsland region should expect winds of about 90 km/h, with showers or thunderstorms likely to develop in the late evening today and continue through early tomorrow morning.
In Melbourne, the State Emergency Service responded to more than 100 request for help as the wild winds swept across the city.
The bureau issued a gale warning for the following parts of Tasmania: Far North West Coast, Central North Coast, Upper East Coast and Lower East Coast.
The strong winds are also making temperatures feel much cooler.
Melbourne has a forecast top of 13 degrees today, but with the wind-chill factored in the ‘feel like’ temperature should make it 10 degrees or less.
Temperatures will get even colder during the week in the Victorian capital as winds turn more southerly after the passage of the cold front. Melbourne’s top should reach just 12 degrees tomorrow.