RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

Situation Update No. 2

Posted:2010-03-06, 07:21:32 [UTC]

Ref.no.: HS-20100306-25219-AUS

Situation Update No. 2
On 2010-03-07 at 03:54:13 [UTC]

Event: Hailstorm
Location: Australia State of Victoria Melbourne

Torrential rains and gigantic hailstones have lashed Australia, flooding the city of Melbourne and bursting riverbanks further north. Melbourne was hit by a thunderstorm which brought hailstones the size of marbles and drenched the city with 19mm of rain in the first 18 minutes. The Australian Weather Bureau has issued flood warnings for parts of the state of Victoria but the ferocity of the storm, which has been likened to a "mini-cyclone", has taken many by surprise. The storm broke at 2.40pm local time, with knee-deep rains and strong winds catching many shoppers in the city centre. The gale was so intense it tore a hole in the roof of a railway station, leading to its evacuation. The torrents led to the cancellation of local football fixtures and horse races, and were expected to continue throughout the evening. Meanwhile, in the nothern province of Queensland, the Weather Bureau said "monsoon conditions" had led to serious flooding and a state of emergency was declared. One town in the area, Lajamanu, has even been hit by a shower of falling fish, which weathermen said was most likely scooped out of a stream by a passing tornado.