STAFF WRITERS

 

SLOW-MOVING thunderstorms erupted through the Latrobe Valley from the earlier hours of Friday, February 27.

Some locals took to social media to report that they’d been awaken by this wild and prolonged thunder and lighting since as early as 4am, with it extending throughout the morning.

To go along with wild and prolonged thunder and lightning, isolated heavy rainfall hit parts of West and South Gippsland, extending to Traralgon and Morwell.

As such, a warning for flash flooding was issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) for affected areas, including Traralgon, Sale, Mt Baw Baw and Maffra.

The State Emergency Service advises that people should;

  • If driving conditions are dangerous, safely pull over away from trees, drains, low-lying areas and floodwater. Avoid travel if possible;
  • Stay safe by avoiding dangerous hazards, such as floodwater, mud, debris, damaged roads and fallen trees;
  • Be aware – heat, fire or recent storms may make trees unstable and more likely to fall when it’s windy or wet;
  • Check that loose items, such as outdoor settings, umbrellas and trampolines are safely secured. Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
  • Stay indoors and away from windows;
  • If outdoors, move to a safe place indoors. Stay away from trees, drains, gutters, creeks and waterways;
  • Stay away from fallen powerlines – always assume they are live;
  • Be aware that in fire affected areas, rainfall run-off into waterways may contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks. Heavy rainfall may also increase the potential for landslides and debris across roads, and;
  • Stay informed: Monitor weather warnings, forecasts and river levels at the Bureau of Meteorology website, and warnings through VicEmergency website/app/hotline.

AusNet reported close to 20 outages in the Latrobe Valley, including Boolarra, Yinnar, Churchill, Hazelwood South, Moe, Glengarry, Flynn, Yallourn North, and the outskirts of Morwell.

This follows storms that hit parts of Victoria on Sunday, February 22 and thunderstorms in the Latrobe Valley from Tuesday to Wednesday morning (February 24 and 25) – but nothing to this magnitude and continuous length.

Severe thunderstorms were expected to occur through to the afternoon and evening.

The SES also reported a magnitude 2.9 earthquake at a 10-kilometre depth with an epicentre off the coast of Inverloch, with one felt report and non associated requests for assistance.

Check www.bom.gov.au/weather-and-climate/warnings-and-alerts to stay regularly updated.

More to come from the Express