Photograph: Jonathan Alcorn/REX Shutterstock
Flash flooding warnings have been issued for Geelong as half of a month’s average rainfall fell on the city within 20 minutes.
Severe storm warnings were issued from 1pm, and 24mm of rain fell between 3pm and 3.22pm on Wednesday. A total of 42.4mm of rain was recorded for the day from 9am.
The average monthly rainfall for Geelong is 37.6mm.
“That’s pretty much equivalent to the getting their total January average rainfall within the space of 3o minutes,” Rod Dickson, senior forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology, told Guardian Australia.
“It’s pretty extraordinary rainfall – a one in 50 year event for Geelong.”
....@Geelong_Mayor severe flooding in geelong pls be careful on our rds #geelong pic.twitter.com/zN6UxJIGTn
— Darryn Lyons (@DarrynLyons) January 27, 2016
Avalon Airport has recorded 72mm since 9am, including 53.8mm in the 30 minutes to 4.30pm. That was a one in 100 year event for Avalon, Dickson said.
By 6pm the storm clouds rolled into Melbourne but were only expected to dump about 10mm. Earlier in the day, the thunderstorms caused up to 19mm of rain to fall in the Otways, where a bushfire that destroyed 116 homes at Wye River and Separation Creek is contained but still burning.
The state emergency service received more than 250 calls in Geelong during and after the storm.
People in areas affected by fire in the past month and who experienced the storm were warned about potential landslides.
Some residents are taking advantage of the deluge, surfing down street in Highton. (Pics via @kylieoliver) #9News pic.twitter.com/mzTsOOdLSB
— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) January 27, 2016
A reservoir once and now again - Johnstone Park, #Geelong via @BarwonWater. #storm pic.twitter.com/MfoSuqbKS3
— Alana Mitchelson (@AlanaMitchelson) January 27, 2016
